I've Been Waiting for You
by SlyFox315
Summary: There really is someone out there for everyone. Toad/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men franchise, as much as I would like too…particularly a green fellow called Toad…

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"Get out of here you mutant freak! Don't think I didn't see what you just did!"

The girl stumbled out of the club's back entrance, closely followed by the hulking bouncer. As she backed away from the angry man, she began to form an energy 'bomb' in her right hand.

"You should be nicer to a lady. You never know what she can do." She released the bomb and let it roll toward the man. Her aim was slightly off, however, and it exploded before it got too close to the bouncer, resulting in a blinding flash, mild debris, and a very angry man. Before she could form another bomb the bouncer lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat. His right hand curled around her throat, the left grasped her hands together in an attempt to prevent another bomb.

"Bad idea girly. You mutant freaks disgust me. Strutting around like you're better than us, like you're God's gift to mankind. You ain't so special." The man squeezed her hands painfully, and the girl heard a few of her knuckles pop. "See, when you can't use your powers you're useless, just a scared little trouble-maker. Now, the bartender has probably already called the cops, but I don't need no boys in blue to deal with you, bitch."

The bouncer's right hand began to squeeze and pull upward, and the girl's eyes widened in fear as she felt her feet slowly lift off the ground.

"Hey, hey, take it easy there big guy. Whatever the problem is, I'm sure we can settle it in a more civilized manner."

The bouncer's enraged face turned toward the newcomer. He didn't like to be bothered when he was dealing with mutants, and he had really wanted to teach this one a lesson. The girl he was currently strangling shifted her gaze toward the girl walking toward them. The new girl was tall with blond hair. That's all the struggling girl could see.

"How about you just put her down, go back inside, and tell any cops that arrive that there's no problem here?" The blond girl said, staring the bouncer directly in the eyes. The bouncer's face seemed to blank itself of any emotion, and he immediately released the other girl's neck and hands. He continued to look a bit dazed, and walked back into the club, without even casting a glance back at the girl he had nearly killed.

The first girl hit the ground coughing and gasping for air. The second girl was her side a moment later. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Y-yeah. I think so." The first girl gasped out. "You know him or something? Why did he listen to you?" She looked at her rescuer's face and gasped when she saw her eyes. They were a normal blue color, but that wasn't what caused her to gasp. The pupils were most definitely not normal. They were thin and vertical, and looked very much as a snake's would. "Oh thank God! You're a mutant too!"

"Shh! Jesus, you trying to get us jumped? In a neighborhood like this, being a mutant is something you keep under your hat, you know?"

The first girl exhaled forcefully, and began to breathe normally. "Sure, sure. Thanks for your help. What did you do to him?"

"My mutation. People do whatever I tell them to do; as long as they're looking me in the eyes, anyway. So what happened in there that got you thrown out here?"

The first girl laughed. "Well, I was just sitting at the bar having a good time, and this total skeeze-ball kept hitting on me. I mean, when did it become O.K. for a 40 year-old balding man to hit on a girl whose clearly out of his league? Anyway, I thought I could get him to go away by tossing a small energy bomb his way. That's my ability by the way. I can make these nifty energy bombs, any size I want. So I made a small one, only about the size of a marble, and flicked it at him. As luck would have it, it landed in his beer mug and exploded. Glass and booze went everywhere. Unfortunately, the bouncer must have seen me throw it, and he dragged me out here. You know the rest."

The other girl nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're alright. You should probably get out of here. The bouncer won't say anything, but I can't guarantee that the cops won't hear the story from someone else and come out here looking for you."

The first girl nodded and stood up. Brushing the dirt from her knees, she faced the new girl and noticed her pupils had dilated to a normal size. "I'm Tabitha, by the way. You can call my Tabby, or Boom-Boom. What's with your eyes?"

"My name is Krystal, but I'm also known as Hypno. My pupils only constrict like that when I'm using my mutation, and they stay that way for a bit. Most of the time they look normal. Come on, we should go." Krystal turned and began to walk down the alley way.

"Hey, I don't really have anywhere to go. I was running away from my dad again, and now I don't have a place to stay. Do you think I could stay with you, just for tonight, you know? I'll start looking for apartments tomorrow, I swear."

"Yeah, you can stay with me. But I have to warn you, my living conditions aren't exactly ideal," Krystal smiled almost sheepishly. "I got kicked out of my apartment a few months ago. I've been living in a storage garage ever since."

"A storage garage is better than a cardboard box. I'll take it."

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Author's Note: Yes, I realize this is a short and boring chapter. Things will pick up in the next few chapters, so bear with me.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: As I mentioned before, I don't own the X-Men franchise.

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Krystal and Tabby walked down the street, chatting like old friends.

"…turns out I can't actually do that. Turn here."

Tabby looked around her. They were standing at a 'U-Store-It' storage garage. Tabby wrapped her arms around herself and shivered involuntarily. 'Looks like a good place to get murdered to me,' Tabby thought to herself. Krystal led her past the garages and stopped at number 112. Krystal noticed Tabby's skeptical look and seemed to know what she was thinking. "Yeah, I know. This place looks creepy at night. Believe me, it's much better during the day." She pulled a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and pulled it up. She walked inside and turned on a few flashlights and lamps. Tabby looking around. It looked like a shabby apartment, if someone had parked a car inside of it. There were furniture and boxes all situated around a small red car that took up most of the space.

"It's not much, but it serves as a base of operation and stores my stuff. And it's a hell of a lot cheaper than an apartment. If you're hungry there are some chips and a left over pizza in here somewhere. You'll have to eat it cold though. I don't have a microwave or anything. No electricity in these places."

Tabby nodded and spotted the pizza sitting on what looked to be a kitchen table. She opened the box. Cheese and pepperoni. It didn't look old, so she took a piece.

Krystal laughed. "Don't worry, it's good. I got it from Pizza Hut this afternoon."

Tabby smiled and took a bite. "It's all good to me. Besides, pepperoni is my favorite and I'm starving"

Krystal grabbed a slice as well. "You said you were running away from your dad again. What did you mean by 'again?'"

"Well, my dad doesn't really like me. I mean, I think he loves me because I'm his daughter and he has to, but he doesn't like me as a person. The only thing he likes about me is my gift. He's a bit of a criminal and my talents suit his needs just fine. We used to pull small heists in convenience stores. He would distract the clerk with something at the back of the store, I would use a small bomb to blast open the cash register or wall safe if they had one, take the money, and run like hell. Then dad got greedy. He wanted to pull a full-out bank robbery. I couldn't go along with that. We would have gotten caught and thrown in jail. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for my dad, but for me? A mutant in a human prison? I don't even want to think about it. So I left and stayed with some friends. I was 17 at the time. My dad eventually found me a few months later and apologized. Things weren't going well with my living arrangements, so I agreed to live with my dad again. Things went great for awhile, but he asked to try the bank heist again. We argued and I left again. But I could never stay away for long. Ever since my mom died, dad was all I had. And despite it all, I still love him. This time dad was drunk and when he gets drunk, he gets violent. So I left again. I think this is runaway number nine."

"I'm sorry. Look, you can stay here as long as you want. I don't really stay here very often, so you'll mostly have the place to yourself. There's a large bowl in the corner and a bunch of jugs of water if you want to wash your face and brush your teeth or something. As for a shower, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. There's no running water in here either."

"That's O.K. I think I'll just brush my teeth and try to get some sleep. I'm pretty worn out. What time is it?"

Krystal checked her watch. "It's almost 12:30. There's a bed over there you can use. I have to get to work at one o'clock."

Tabby frowned. "You go to work at one a.m.? Where the hell do you work?"

"I'm an EMS dispatcher. I work from one a.m. to nine a.m. So if you call 911 between then, you might end up talking to me. It's a pretty good job."

"So you must sleep during the day, huh?"

"Actually, no. It's another part of my mutation. I don't have to sleep. I can sleep if I want to, and I do it sometimes when I have nothing else to do. But I don't need to sleep. It leaves me with a lot of spare time, so I picked up a night job."

"Cool. So do you work during the day too?"

"Nah. Well, sort of. I'll have to explain later. I need to get to work. Feel free to help yourself to anything here. Mi casa es su casa."

"Thanks. I think I'm just gonna get some sleep. Have fun at work."

"Will do. See you in the morning." Krystal got in her car and started it up. The sudden roar of the engine made Tabby jump. Krystal grinned and mouthed 'Sorry' before she backed out of the garage. She got out of the car and went to close the garage door. "I'm gonna lock it up. There's a spare key on the table if you need to leave for some reason." Krystal lowered the door and Tabby heard her drive off. When the sound of the car's engine completely died down, Tabby took a closer inspection of Krystal's 'apartment.' It was pretty obvious she didn't stay here very often. There was all the normal stuff you would find in an apartment: a bed, dresser, table, couch, television (obviously not working), assorted other bric-a-brac, and a whole bunch of boxes. One thing Tabby found interesting was the lack of personal items or memorabilia. There were no pictures of family or friends. Tabby herself had a picture of her and her parents, back when her mother was still alive and she had a happy family. She shrugged. Maybe Krystal just never found the time to unpack those things. She went to the bowl in the corner and brushed her teeth with the toothbrush she had kept in her purse. She walked over to the bed and crawled under the covers and quickly fell asleep. It had been a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own the X-Men.

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Tabby woke up to the sound of the garage door being pulled open. She looked toward the door and blinked furiously as the sunlight poured in. She groaned and pulled the blankets up over her head. "Ugh. It's way too early for the sun to be that bright. Close the door or something, will ya?"

Krystal laughed. "It's not that early! It's 9:30 and I come bearing the gift of coffee." She walked over to Tabby and offered her a styrofoam Dunkin' Donuts cup. "I also brought breakfast. I hope you like doughnuts. The breakfast of champions…and lazy cops."

Tabby sat up and accepted the cup. "Thanks. So what do you do about the bathing situation? Please tell me you don't bathe in that bowl over there."

Krystal laughed again. "Not unless I get desperate. I actually go to one of those truck stop stations. A lot of them have showers available for truckers who stop for the night. I just find an employee, tell him to let me into the showers, and _voila_! Free shower."

"That actually works, huh? What happens if a real trucker shows up to use the shower?"

"It happens, and it's embarrassing. Enough said."

Tabby smiled and grabbed a doughnut. "Do you think I could get in on this shower trick of yours?"

"Sure. There's a station a couple miles from here. When we're done with the chow we can head over there."

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Twenty minutes later the two girls pulled into the truck station parking lot.

"Here we are. All we have to do is locate a clueless employee," The girls got out of the car and walked through the door. "And here's one now."

Krystal walked up to the counter and began to chat with the teen standing behind the counter. Tabby didn't think it would take much persuading to get this kid to let them into the shower room. Judging by his red eyes he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night and was probably too hung over to care about the 'Truckers Only' sign on bathroom door. Suddenly the boy's bloodshot eyes glazed over and he grabbed a key from behind the counter. As he walked toward the bathroom Krystal motioned for Tabby to follow him. The boy unlocked the doors and turned to Krystal, as if he expected her to say something. She did.

"Thanks kid. Just go on back to the counter and don't let anyone else in here until after we leave, alright?"

The boy gave no sign that he had heard her. He just walked back to the counter and continued to look tired and hung over.

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After grabbing lunch from a gas station (which was an interesting experience, considering Krystal didn't pay for anything, instead just told the cashier to give her the food for free), the girls found themselves back at Krystal's storage garage.

"O.K., so you steal food and showers. What else do you do?"

Krystal grinned. "During the day my activities get a little bit more political. See, my gift allows me some great opportunities to help other mutants. You probably haven't heard much about it yet, but some people have begun to suggest a mutant registration bill. Basically, we'll all have to register ourselves on a master list that gives out all our information, including what our talents are. You can see how this will be a bad thing. We'd never be safe. I've managed to keep this registration bill fairly quiet for the past few months by 'convincing' certain people to keep their mouths shut. Unfortunately, there's this new guy I must have missed. Senator Kelly. I think he's going to become a real big problem real fast."

"Yeah, I've seen Kelly's speeches. He's the biggest asshole I've ever seen."

Krystal nodded. "Tell me about it. The problem with him is that he's really popular and well guarded. I can't get close enough to him to talk to him. It might be for the best anyway. If someone like him were to suddenly change his opinion on mutants, it would look awfully suspicious."

"Guess so. You got a lot of stuff going. What do you do for fun, I mean, you a partier?"

"Nah. To be honest, crowded places freak me out. I avoid them if I can. What about you?"

Tabby laughed. "You found me behind a club, remember?"

"Right. Guess I didn't need to ask."

The girls laughed. "I do enjoy a good time and I love a party. Is that going to be a problem if I'm staying here?" Tabby asked.

"Nah. I don't really care. Just don't bring people around here. The last thing I need is for someone to call the cops and get me evicted from here. I can't imagine people are really supposed to live in these things."

"Probably not. How are you getting away with this anyway? You telling the owner to let you stay here?"

"Don't have to. This place is real cheap. There's no night watchman or anything, and the owner never comes around. I'm probably not the only person living here."

The girls spent the rest of the afternoon talking and decided to take in a movie that evening. Another interesting experience: free tickets and free food.

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Authors Note: I probably should have mentioned that this story will span from before the first X-Men movie until the end of X2. Also, the Brotherhood will finally make an appearance in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: You guessed it. I don't own the X-Men, nor the genius of Stan Lee.

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Four days later Tabby was still living with Krystal. It was 1:30 in the morning and Tabby was in the mood for some fun. She hadn't been out clubbing since she had moved in with Krystal. She grabbed the spare key and let herself out of the garage. She walked to the street and hailed a cab.

"Nearest all-night club, my man."

Ten minutes later Tabby walked through the doors of the club and breathed it all in. There were people with neon hair, piercings, and damn near all of them had a drink in hand. These were her people! She ordered herself a drink and it didn't take her long to find a cute guy to dance with. Within the hour she was drunk and having a blast. Literally. In her inebriated mind, shooting off some of her personal brand fireworks suddenly seemed like a great idea. But before she could release the small bomb she had formed someone grabbed her wrist.

"I wouldn't do that in here if I were you," a male voice whispered in her ear.

Tabby whirled around, intent on giving this jerk a piece of her mind for ruining her fun. A tall man, probably no older than 23, stood in front of her. The first thing Tabby noticed was that the guy was really attractive. She told him so.

The man raised an amused eyebrow. An odd expression for his face. It somehow didn't look right on him. "Well then, maybe you and I should step out of here."

Tabby followed the man out of the club and they walked toward a dimly lit alley way. Tabby suddenly realized that perhaps she had made a mistake by going with this man. This realization sobered her up quickly and she yanked her wrist out of his hand.

"Look buster, you don't know what you're dealing with!"

"Actually, I do." Tabby gasped as the man's skin and clothing seemed to melt away to reveal a blue woman with scales, who was in essence, completely naked. Tabby told her that, too. The woman raised an eyebrow. The expression seemed much more at home on this face.

The woman reached up to a small earpiece she was wearing. "Eric, I found one."

"Found one what? And who's Eric?" Tabby asked, stuck between curiosity and shock at what she had just seen.

"I am my dear," an elderly man stepped up behind her. "But I am better known as Magneto. Mystique and I are currently recruiting mutants like yourself for our cause. We are dedicated to protecting our fellow mutants and mutant rights from the humans who fear and hate us so. We could use a girl of you're talents in our Brotherhood."

Tabby eyed the man. Her eyes lingered on his helmet. "Mutant rights, huh? You should talk to Krystal. She talks about that too. What does this Brotherhood have to offer me, anyway?"

Mystique and Magneto exchanged a glance. "Who's Krystal?" Magneto asked.

"The girl I'm staying with. I don't know exactly what she does. Something about messing with senators minds and mutant registration. She said something about Senator Kelly wanting to tag us like animals."

Magneto smiled. It seemed he might pick up two mutants for the price of one. "I think we should go talk to your friend."

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When Krystal returned to the garage and opened the door she was met with a most unwelcome sight: visitors. Even worse, one of the visitors was using her laptop. She spotted Tabby sitting on the bed sipping a coffee. Krystal frowned slightly.

"Tabby, honey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Krystal looked like she was trying to keep calm when all she really wanted to do was yell. Tabby stood up and followed her out of the garage. "Tabs, what are you doing? I told you not to bring people around here!"

"Relax Krys, they're mutants too."

"Yes, I can see that. There is a naked blue woman is using my laptop. Not good."

"Listen, they have this group, a Brotherhood. I think you should listen to what they have to say. They think just like you do. They want to help other mutants. I told them about the senators, and they seemed interested."

"Christ! You told them about that? What do they know?"

"I told them how you were 'convincing' people to change their minds about mutants. They already know about the mutant registration bill, I didn't need to tell them about that. Oh, and they hate Senator Kelly just as much as we do."

Krystal sighed. "I guess at this point I pretty much have to talk to them. They're in my home using my stuff. Something needs to be done about that." Both girls walked back into the garage. Tabby sat back down on the bed with her coffee. Krystal just stood and looked at her guests. Magneto spoke first.

"You look upset, my dear. Why don't you sit down and listen to my business proposition?"

Krystal sat on the bed next to Tabby. "What kind of business do you have in mind?" She turned her attention toward Mystique. "And would it be too much to ask you to stop messing around with my laptop?"

Mystique looked and Magneto and smirked, then looked at Krystal. "Senator's names, addresses, phone numbers, schedules, restaurants they eat at, stores they shop at; you've been busy. This laptop of yours is certainly very useful."

"Yes, I know. That's why I would like you to stop playing with it."

Magneto spoke up. "Please just listen. It seems that you and I have the same goal in mind. I'm offering you two young ladies an opportunity. An opportunity to team up with others like yourselves, to be a part of the solution. To make the world safe for mutants, to stop the humans before they 'tag us like animals.'" Krystal looked a bit startled at that phrase. It sounded familiar. Magneto continued, "Join us. We can offer you an actual home. I can't imagine this place of yours will be very comfortable in the winter. I'm guessing you haven't lived in here long enough to know just how cold this garage will get in the winter. And I'm sure you miss electricity and running water."

Krystal and Tabby looked at each other, silently agreeing on their next move. Krystal looked at Magneto. "You're not wrong. I would kill for a decent place to live. And it certainly couldn't hurt to have some help with Senator Kelly."

Magneto smiled. "Excellent, why don't you come with us, and we'll show you your new home."

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Authors Note: There will finally be some Toad in the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, Bodo.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See Chapters 1-4.

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This was the first time either of the girls had been in a helicopter. Mystique sat at the controls while Magneto, Krystal, and Tabby sat in the back.

"Now my dear," Magneto said, turning to Krystal, "Tabitha says that you've been trying to keep the Mutant Registration Bill from passing."

"Of course. If that monstrosity passes, its going to be game over for a lot of mutants. My gift is a sort of mind control. I bet that people will just love having me around. And Senator Kelly's favorite example is a girl who can walk through walls. Just because she can do it doesn't mean she's dangerous, but people will always treat her like she is."

"So you've been telling the Senators not to vote to pass this bill?"

"Pretty much, yes. All I have to do is find them somewhere, usually a restaurant or store. Then I tell them to vote 'no' for the bill. It's been working so far."

"Indeed. But I believe this Senator Kelly is going to become a huge problem. He's already rallied a great many people to his cause. Do you think you could convince him to change his mind?"

Krystal nodded. "Sure, if I could get close to the guy. He's too well protected. But I've been thinking about this. Even if I could get close to him, I wouldn't talk to him. He's too high-profile. If someone like him were to suddenly change his opinion about mutants, people would become suspicious and immediately blame mutant intervention, whether they could prove it or not. Then more people will step up to take his place. As it stands, Kelly is only one man with one vote. All I have to do is convince the majority to vote against him. It's not too hard, a great many Senators vote against him without my help, so I only really need to convince a few. But if people believe that mutants did something to Kelly, more people like him would step up, and I'm not sure I could keep a lid on all of them."

Magneto looked thoughtful. "Clever girl. But if this Kelly problem escalates, know that you won't have to handle it on your own. That's what my Brotherhood is for. Together we can put a stop to Senator Kelly and his Mutant Registration Bill." He suddenly laughed. "If only Charles knew that it was a mutant, not human decency keeping this bill at bay! He puts far too much faith in mankind."

Tabby, who had been looking out a window, suddenly spoke up. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Our base is located on an island not too far from here. We should be landing in a few minutes."

Krystal looked impressed. "Your own island? How did you come into that?"

Magneto smiled by didn't answer. Instead he just pointed out the window at their new home.

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"Good God! What is this place, some kind of prison?" Tabby blurted when she hopped out of the helicopter. Krystal followed behind her and had very similar thoughts. The base seemed to be made purely out of metal from the outside, and Krystal guessed it would be much the same on the inside.

"Welcome home, Boom Boom and Hypno. Welcome to the Brotherhood of Mutants." Magneto said proudly, gesturing toward the doors. "Come inside and meet your brothers."

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Their 'brothers' turned out to be a very large, very intimidating man whose feral grin could make even the bravest man cower, and a shorter green man who seemed intent to glare at the newcomers, and his glare had a cowering effect as well. Neither man seemed to be overly welcoming of the two girls.

Magneto didn't seem at all perturbed by the men's behavior. Instead he began the introductions.

"Boom Boom, Hypno, meet Sabertooth and Toad, you're new team mates. Toad, would you show these girls to their rooms?"

Toad nodded, but the glare remained. He started off down the hall at a fast pace, causing both girls to jog to catch up to him. He didn't say a word, and didn't give the impression that he would welcome any conversation. He stopped at the end of the hall and pointed at the last two doors.

"'Ere are your rooms. I got work ta do."

With that he turned and walked back down the hall. Once he was out of eyesight Krystal turned to Tabby and said, "I don't get the impression he likes us very much."

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She was right. Toad didn't like them very much at all. In fact, he didn't like any Passers, save Magneto. Passers reacted to him the same way humans did, with disgust and fear. He had seen that look on many mutants' faces when they looked at him. Even on the faces of those bloody X-Men, with all their self-righteous bullshit about acceptance of all mutants. It almost sickened him to classify these new girls in the same category as himself. Sure they were mutants, but they weren't mutants like _him_. They could pass for human, they would never know what it was like to feared and hated at first glance. He knew. He knew all too well. His own mother hated him at first sight and dumped him off at the nearest church on their way home from the hospital. She wouldn't even take him home.

He hadn't liked the idea of Magneto recruiting new members. He liked things the way they were, with just Mystique, Sabertooth, and himself. Sure, they weren't friends by anyone's standards, but they all had something in common. They were freaks. Mystique could disguise herself, but at the end of the day she was still blue and scaled. She was beautiful, but humans would still hate her if they saw her true form. Just like they hated Mortimer. He would never say it, but he liked to think of the three of them as The Three Musketeers. He smirked. More like The Three Mutanteers. All following their leader, Magneto.

Magneto. His personal savior and messiah. The man who saved him from certain death on the streets of London and gave him a home and a purpose. He would follow Magneto anywhere, do whatever he asked. He often asked Mortimer to kill. Mort enjoyed that. There was something deliciously satisfying about watching those perfect human bodies break beneath his feet; he lived for that 'crunch' he heard when one broke. He loved his work, he loved bringing an untimely end to people who never fully appreciated what a free pass they had been given by being born human. And they never saw him coming.

But Magneto had felt the need to swell their ranks with new recruits. This happened often, and Mort's only consolation was that new recruits never lasted long. Especially female recruits. He found most were simply unable to stomach the tasks given to them. One good look at a mangled body was usually enough to send most of them packing. These two blondies didn't look like they could handle much to him. He would give them a week.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men franchise, or Toad. Sigh.

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Later that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Toad was still in his workshop determined to finish this piece of his machine before he called it a night. The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention to the door. One of those Passers was still up.

"Wot are you doin' 'ere?" he asked.

"I don't sleep. Everyone else went to bed and I don't really have anything to do. What are you still doing up?"

"I want to finish this piece before goin' to bed."

Krystal walked around the machine, inspecting it. "What does this thing do?"

"Magneto didn' tell ya?"

"Nope. I'm completely in the dark."

"When it's finished Magneto'll power it up 'n it'll turn humans into mutants."

Krystal looked stunned. "That will actually work?"

'So many damn questions. Why the 'ell won't she just go away?' Toad thought to himself. "Course it'll work," he snarled.

The girl didn't seem fazed. "Do you need any help?"

"I don't need your damn 'elp! Just get out of 'ere, you're distractin' me!"

"I suppose I am. Guess I'll see you later. Don't stay up too late, it's already 2:45." She turned and walked back out of the workshop.

Toad looked at the clock on the wall. 2:45. Fuck.

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After she was gone Toad found he wasn't able to focus on the machine anymore. Who did she think she was, offering to help him? He was a mechanical genius for Christ's sake! He didn't need her help. But that wasn't really what bothered him. What bothered him was how _normal _their conversation was. She had talked to _him_ like he was normal. Toad snorted. 'Him' and 'normal' weren't two words that were usually found in a sentence together, unless the word 'not' joined in.

But even that wasn't what truly baffled him. What plagued his mind was the disgust he _hadn't _seen in her eyes.

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A half hour later he decided to call it quits. He was getting nowhere and it was taking him a long time to do it. He packed up his tools and left the workshop. As he walked down the hall he heard the television in the den. He stuck his head in and saw Krystal sitting on the couch eating a bowl of ice cream and watching cartoons. He hadn't known Spongebob was on at 3:15 in the morning.

"Oh, hello again," Krystal said, turning her head to face him. "I was starting to think you were going to pull an all-nighter in there." Her face suddenly broke into a grin.

"Wot are ya smilin' at?"

"You. You are ridiculously cute in those goggles."

His hand shot up to face. He had completely forgotten he was wearing those. He tugged the goggles off his face and looked back at Krystal. She was a little blurry now, but he could still see she was smiling. He was beginning to feel a bit flustered. She had called him _cute_.

"Y-yeah, well, I'm goin' ta bed." He turned to walk out of the den.

"Alright then. Good night and sweet dreams, pal."

Toad walked down the hall to his room feeling confused. Then a realization struck him. She wasn't just a Passer; she was a crazy Passer. Perfect.

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The next morning Toad entered the kitchen to find Krystal pulling a damn fine Martha Stewart impression. The kitchen table was covered in food and she was currently washing all the dishes and pans she had used.

"Morning Toad! Take a seat. I got a pancake buffet going on here: there's chocolate chip, blueberry, banana, and some mildly burnt plain ones."

Toad sat down and helped himself to some chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Krystal sat across the table from him and took some of the burnt pancakes.

"You're up pretty early for someone who went to bed around 3:30 this morning," she said. "I'm pretty sure you and me are the only ones up."

Toad just shrugged. He didn't really know what to say to her. He had already determined she was all 6's and 7's, and he didn't know how to talk to a crazy woman. Hell, he didn't even know how to talk to a sane woman. Instead he just contented himself with eating the pancakes. Crazy or not, she was a good cook.

The two of them sat in a fairly comfortable silence until another blond entered the kitchen.

"Mmm, smells good! Who made all this?"

"Morning Tabs, I did. Help yourself." Krystal gestured at the array of pancakes and assorted breakfast foods.

Tabby reached for a plate and seemed to see Toad for the first time that morning.

"Um, good morning, Toad." She filled up her plate and took a seat at the end of the table.

It hadn't escaped Toad's attention that Tabby had chosen the seat furthest from him. He scowled and stood up. He put his empty plate in the sink and left the kitchen.

"Jeez, what's with him?" Tabby asked around a mouthful of blueberry pancakes.

"Hmm…either he's not a morning person, or he noticed just how far away from him you sat."

Tabby swallowed. "Come on. What was I supposed to do, sit right next to him? He's kind of creepy."

Krystal gave a small smile. "I don't think he's creepy. He seems like a pretty good guy to me. I think he just doesn't spend a lot of time with other people."

"Probably not. Have you gotten a good look at him?"

Krystal looked thoughtful. "Yep. He's actually kind of cute."

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Authors Note: I apologize for my butchering of Toad's accent. I'm no good at writing those.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing here you recognize.

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A few days later Magneto called a meeting of the Brotherhood to debrief them for their first mission since the girls had joined. They were all sitting around the kitchen table and Toad kept sending uneasy glances at Krystal, who was seated right beside him.

"As you know, Senator Kelly has been trying to get his Mutant Registration Bill passed. Every time he brings it up to the Senate he always names specific mutants and their gifts. What we need to know is how he has been getting this information. For the next two days the Senator will be rallying in California, leaving his office unoccupied. Tonight Mystique, Boom Boom, and Hypno will be infiltrating the office looking for the files containing information on the mutants." He turned to Tabby and Krystal. "Boom Boom, Hypno, this is your first mission and your chance to prove your worth. Good luck to the both of you." He then turned his gaze toward Toad. "Toad, I need you to have the helicopter refueled and ready for them by 9 o'clock tonight." Toad nodded. "Thank you, Toad. I suggest you girls spend the rest of day preparing for the mission."

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The rest of the day passed quickly, and at 9 o'clock that evening the three women piled into the helicopter and took off. Mystique sat at the controls and glanced back at the two girls.

"Don't worry, this will be a pretty easy mission. We'll be in and out in a few minutes. We shouldn't run into any trouble."

The girls nodded, but continued to look nervous. Soon the helicopter began to descend for its landing. They would have to walk a bit to get to the office since there was no landing place near the office. After they landed the team jumped out of the helicopter and made the trek to the office building. They arrived at the deserted front doors and Mystique produced a key card and swiped it, opening the doors. The three women entered the building.

"Kelly's office is on the 15th floor," said Mystique.

Tabby nodded. "Please tell me we get to use the elevator."

Mystique rolled her eyes and walked to the elevator. They walked in and the ride up was filled with a tense silence. The doors opened to reveal a deserted 15th floor.

"It's at the end of the hall. Come on."

The girls followed Mystique to the last door on the right, where Mystique entered a code on the number pad next to the door. When the door unlocked Krystal sent Mystique a questioning look.

Mystique smirked. "I've been here before."

They entered the office, unaware they had set off the silent alarm the second they passed through the door. Mystique immediately headed for the computer and turned to the girls, "You two start looking through those file cabinets."

The girls nodded and tried to open the cabinets only to find that they were locked.

"I got this," Tabby said. She made a tiny bomb in her hand and fed it into the lock. With a muffled 'BANG' the drawer shot open. They sifted through the files, but found nothing.

"We got nothing here Mystique, you having any luck?" Krystal asked.

"Yes, I fou-"

"Hold it right there, freaks!" Five armed security guards now stood in the doorway. "You so much as move and we'll blow your fucking heads off!"

"Not if I blow yours off first!" Tabby yelled, tossing an energy bomb at the men. The bomb had landed in between the feet of one of the men, and when it exploded, the effect was grotesque. The man no longer seemed to have feet. He fell to the ground screaming. Everyone else seemed to be frozen in shock. Mystique recovered first.

"Human scum!" She launched herself over the desk and forcefully kicked one guard in the face, his nose exploding into a gush of blood and cartilage. She bounced off him into the next one, snapped his neck with a quick twist of her hands. She ducked as another guard swung his service pistol at her head and kneed him in the gut. As he doubled over in pain she smashed his face against her knee, knocking him out instantly. Mystique was a finely tuned combat machine.

By now Krystal had also gotten over her shock. "Hey you," she called to the last guard still standing, "Give me that gun!" The man's face blanked and he immediately handed over the gun. "Good. Now radio your command post and tell them that all is well up here. There's no need to send any more guards." The man nodded and began speaking into his radio.

Mystique was still dealing with the man with the broken nose when Tabby finally reacted. She started screaming, almost as loudly as the man with no feet, who was still writhing with pain on the floor. Krystal knelt down beside him and looked him over. The medical training she had to take in order to become an EMS dispatcher told her there was no way this man would survive, even if he got to a hospital right away. The blast had blown away both his feet and most of his shins. He had lost far too much blood already. There was only one thing she could think to do.

"I'm sorry pal, but this really is for the best. No more pain where you're going." She put the gun to his head and winced as she squeezed the trigger. The only sound to be heard now was Tabby's screams.

"Tabby," Krystal said, trying to get her attention. "Tabby! Be quiet! We don't need more guards coming up here!"

Mystique looked unconcerned at the massacre at their feet. She just walked back over to the computer and began downloading files to a disk. When she was finished she stood up and addressed the girls, "I got what we came for. Let's go."

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The ride home was filled with the sound of Tabby's sobs.

"I killed that guy, Krystal, I killed him!"

"Shh, shh, no you didn't. I did. Don't blame yourself for this. He was dead the moment he entered that office."

"Oh God, his feet! The blood! I've _never…_oh God!" Tabby suddenly vomited in the back of the helicopter. Mystique just rolled her eyes. She hated working with new recruits.

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"Bloody 'ell! Wot did ya do ta me copter?" Toad looked at the helicopter he had come to think of as his own, his face contorting at the horrible smell drifting from the back. "Smells like somethins' rottin' in 'ere!"

"I'm sorry about the mess. Tabby threw up. Here, I'll clean it up." Krystal said, hopping back into the helicopter with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. Toad wasn't about to argue; if she wanted to clean up vomit, so be it.

"Mystique says ya killed a guy."

Krystal stopped scrubbing and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, I suppose I did." She began cleaning again.

"You're takin' your first kill real well."

Krystal shook her head. "He wasn't really my first. Besides, the guy wasn't going to make it. It seemed less cruel to just put him out of his misery quickly instead of letting him bleed to death."

Toad was surprised. Sure, it had been a mercy killing, but she had still taken a life, and apparently others. Maybe she would last more than a week.

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Author's Note: Just want to give you a heads up, the next chapter may be a bit dark and gory.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See chapters 1-7.

Warning: This chapter may be a bit dark, and rated M for a reason.

_Flashbacks will be written in Italics. _

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After the helicopter was clean Krystal followed Toad back to his workshop. He grabbed his toolbox and crouched down beside the giant machine.

"Can I help?"

Toad blinked in mild annoyance. Would she never just leave him to work in peace? But he relented. "Yeah, sure. Ya can 'and me tools."

They worked quietly for a few minutes, the silence only broken by Toad requesting a tool every now and then. Toad quickly discovered the only thing more awkward than talking to this girl was sitting with her in silence.

"Can I ask ya a question?"

"Sure Toad. You can ask me anything."

"Mort," he mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Mort. My name. It's not good, but it's better than Toad."

"Mort then. I like it. What did you want to ask me?"

"Who'd ya kill?"

Krystal gave a sad smile. "It's kind of a long story."

"I got time."

"O.K., I guess the first thing I should tell you is that I didn't always have my mutant gifts, at least not like I do now. I never could sleep well, but the only thing that separated me from the millions of insomniacs in the world was that I could function properly without it.

About six months ago I participated in a blood drive at my college. What I didn't know was that the people weren't really from the Red Cross. They were from some research lab. They would take a sample of our blood to find out our blood type, or at least that's what they told us. What they were really checking for was the X-gene. They found it in myself and two others: Kenzie and Don. A few weeks later the three of us were invited to participate in a paid research study about stress levels of college students. We were poor college kids who needed money, so we showed up for the study. But once we showed up, they wouldn't let us leave. They locked us in a room and told us that we could leave after we helped them test their new drug. This new drug was supposed to suppress the X-gene, turning mutants into humans. We resisted as long as we could, but they wouldn't feed us or even give us water. We finally took their drug.

At first nothing happened. The researchers seemed disappointed; they thought their drug hadn't worked. And then it happened. Kenzie started having these seizures. They were minor at first, but within a couple days she couldn't stop seizing. Her body's systems began shutting down and she died right there in the room with us. The scientists freaked out. They gave Don and me the 'antidote' to the drug they gave us before. The 'antidote' was supposed to jump start our X-gene again. But just like the original drug, this was the first time the 'antidote' was being tested. It was too powerful and kicked the X-gene into high gear. I gained a power I didn't have before, and Don's powers soared up and out of control.

Don's gift was illusion. He could create anything he wanted in his mind and make you see it. And it was so real. But after he took the 'antidote' he couldn't control himself. He could no longer tell the difference between his illusions and reality. He saw things that weren't there, had friends that didn't exist. Sometimes he looked genuinely surprised to see me in the room. I don't think he knew who I was. Sometimes he would ask me if I was real. All the while my head began to hurt and my eyes ached. It never stopped and everyday it got worse. The pressure was just building and building.

And then one day we made our escape…"

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_The hinges on the door squeaked as the two guards entered the room. They had been drawn by the yelling of the male mutant. When they looked around they saw him sitting in the corner, holding his head and screaming._

"_No Hubert! I don't want to do that! I can't do that! I won't, I won't!"_

_The female mutant was sitting next to him with her hand resting on his shoulder. "Don, sweetie, Hubert isn't real. You don't have to do what he tells you to."_

"_Damn it! Shut him up! It's two a.m.! We're trying to sleep here! God damn muties!" growled one of the guards. The other guard drew his gun. _

"_Maybe I should just shoot this freak and put him out of his misery. Then maybe we can get a decent nights sleep."_

_The girl's head suddenly shot up and she glared at the man with the gun. "You asshole, if you want to shoot somebody so bad, why don't you shoot him?" she suggested, pointing to the first guard. _

_The guard with the gun suddenly lost all emotion on his face. He turned to his partner and raised his gun._

"_John, whoa, what are you do-"_

_BANG!_

_Blood, brains, and skull fragments splattered the walls of the room. The girl stared at man's shattered head and screamed. _

"_Oh God! What did you- why did- get me out of here!" She began to cry. "Please, I just want to go home!" She looked at the man with the gun. He was gazing at her with a strange, expectant look on his face, almost like he was waiting for her to say something. She was beginning to get hysterical. "Let us out! Get us out of here!"_

_The man slowly walked toward the door. When he was standing in the doorframe he turned to the two mutants and waved for them to follow him. The girl just stared at him. He waved again, more urgently. The girl helped her friend up off the ground and followed the guard. He led them through the lab. But before they got all the way out a third guard arrived. _

"_I thought I heard a gunshot." He looked at the two mutants. "John, what are you doing? Where are you taking them?" _

_In a monotone voice John replied, "I am taking them out. You are in the way." He raised his gun again and fired twice, hitting the new guard in the chest. He fell to the ground, dead. John began heading for the doors again, stepping over the corpse of his fellow guard. He turned and gestured for the mutants to follow him. The stunned girl and the boy followed him again, the girl's gaze lingering on the murdered guard. The boy was still in a world of his own. He hadn't seemed to notice any of the strange events occurring around him. _

_Another guard ran into the lab. "John, what the he-"_

_The girl interrupted him, her voice shaking as she pled, "Please, if you don't want to die, then get out of our way!" _

_But it was too late. "You are in the way." More gunfire. Another corpse. John led them to the front doors. He opened them and gestured for the mutants to leave. The girl grabbed her friend's hand and began to run. She ran away from the bodies of the guards whose deaths she had caused. Who would never get to see their families again. The guilt was unbearable. As she ran she could faintly hear John coming to._

"_Ugh. What happened? How did I get out here? Where's Jimmy…"_

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"As soon as we got out I began looking for an apartment for us. With Don's condition we couldn't go back to our dorms at the college. I found one in a shady neighborhood. It was the kind of place where people didn't ask questions. It was perfect. We stayed there for about two months before things got out of hand."

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_The girl screamed and bolted upright in bed. She usually didn't sleep, but it had been a long day and she was exhausted. Sleep had felt nice, until the nightmare started. She had been having a lot of them lately. In this one she was standing before the bathroom mirror. The towel wrapped around her body and the fog on the mirror indicated she had just gotten out of the shower. She reached up and wiped the fog off the mirror with her hand. She looked at her reflection and saw both of her hands slowly beginning to raise up to her face. To her eyes. "Oh God, no!" She couldn't control her hands. They reached her eyes and her fingernails began to press in, digging into her eyes, and then they began to pull. Blood sprayed the mirror as she pulled her eyes from their sockets. She began to scream and snapped awake. It had seemed so real. They always did. _

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"It started with the dreams, but it got worse. Don's illusions began to affect me during the day. I began to see things that weren't real. And soon it wasn't just me and Don. I got the feeling the other tenants were seeing things and having nightmares too. It didn't take them too long to identify our apartment as the source of the disturbance. One day I came home and found Don dead in the bathtub. He had slit his wrists. On the floor beside the tub there was an eviction notice. On it he had written 'I'm sorry.' I don't know if he killed himself because he felt bad about what was happening to everyone in our building, or if one of his illusions finally got the better of him. I guess in the end it doesn't matter. I haven't even tried to sleep since then. I just can't take the dreams, you know?"

Toad nodded. He could understand nightmares. His mind was burdened with horrific memories of his days at the church orphanage.

"You know Mort, you're the first person I've told this to. It kind of feels good to talk about it. Thank you for listening."

"No problem, pet," he replied. But in all honesty he was sorry he had asked. He had gotten far more information than he had asked for.

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Authors Note: Whew. I'm glad to have that finished. Things should be getting brighter for Krystal and Mort in the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men franchise or it's characters.

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Like countless others before her, Tabby had discovered the numbing effects of alcohol. She had always enjoyed a drink at a club or a party, but now she drank with a vengeance. She drank to forget. The image of the man whose feet she had blown off was never far from her mind. His screams of pain woke her in the night. Her hands shook whenever she formed a bomb in her training sessions with the rest of the Brotherhood.

Tonight she was sitting in a small dingy bar drinking to beat the band. When she ordered another drink the bartender asked her if she didn't think she'd had enough for one night.

"It's never enough…not after what I've done." She was startlingly coherent for someone who had been drinking all night. This unnerved the bartender a bit. He suggested she go home for the night. Tabby drained her beer, slammed the bottle on the counter, and stood up. "Yeah, I should be getting back. Krys will worry."

Of all the members of the Brotherhood Krystal seemed to be the only one who had noticed Tabby's swift decline into alcoholism. To Tabby's credit she always got home after everyone else had gone to bed and could hide her hangovers very well the next morning. So far her job performance had not been affected. No one else seemed to suspect a thing. Either that or they didn't care.

She walked to the dock and jumped into the speedboat Magneto had allowed her and Krystal to use since they couldn't fly a helicopter and he couldn't afford to have Mystique or Toad chauffer them to the mainland. As she sped toward the island she began to feel the effects of her night at the bar. By the time she arrived at the island her eyelids were drooping and she could barely stand up straight. She stumbled toward the door. Krystal met her there.

"Rough night, Tabs?"

Tabby nodded and hiccupped in response.

Krystal put her arm around Tabby to help her through the base. "C'mon, let's get you bed." The two girls made their way to Tabby's room. Krystal helped Tabby to her bed and pulled off her shoes. She looked up to say goodnight, but Tabby was already out.

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Krystal sighed as she pulled the door to Tabby's room shut. Suddenly she heard a crash and a stream of curses coming from the workshop. She raised an amused eyebrow. Sounded like Mort was still awake and irate. When she entered the workshop she had to duck quickly to avoid being hit in the head by a flying wrench.

"God damn it! Work ya bloody bastard!" Mort drew his leg back and gave the metal machine a mighty kick, then howled in pain the moment his foot made the connection. He began hopping up and down, holding his foot in his hand and swearing. Krystal had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Take it easy, buddy. You're gonna break something." Mort glared at her.

"It's already broken. God damn piece o' shit won't fuckin' work!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. C'mon, why don't you come take a break with me?"

Mort gave her a suspicious look. "Wot did you 'ave in mind, pet?"

Krystal shrugged. "I don't know. You want to watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah, sure."

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20 minutes later the two of them were sitting on the couch watching a horror movie. They had come to a particularly gory scene when Krystal drew her knees up and buried her face in her hands.

"Ugh, tell me when it's over!"

"It's over."

Krystal turned to him, with her hands still over her face. "No it's not! They're still screaming!"

Mort laughed. Probably the first real laugh he had in a while. "Ya caught me, luv."

"Hmm…well, while they're busy disemboweling each other, I'm going to grab some ice cream. You want some?"

"Sure."

After a couple minutes she came back with a carton of ice cream and two spoons. To Mort's surprise she sat right next to him. She offered him the carton.

"Dig in."

The two of them dug into the ice cream and watched the rest of the movie. When it was over, Krystal turned to Mort.

"You wanna watch another?"

Mort nodded. He was actually having a good time with her. Krystal got up off the couch and put in another movie. She sat back down close to Mort. Closer than anyone else ever sat next to him voluntarily, anyway.

About a half an hour into the movie Mort yawned. It was after two in the morning, after all. He closed his eyes. He wouldn't sleep, just rest his tired eyes for a moment…

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When he woke up he found he was laying down, his head resting on something warm. And something was touching his hair. His eyes snapped open. It took him a moment to realize where he was. The television he was facing told him he was in the den, on the couch. The knee directly in front of his face told him that his head was resting on someone's lap. But who…Oh right. Krystal. They were watching movies. He must've fallen asleep. He blinked blearily. Then it must be her touching his hair.

It was. She was running her hand lazily through his hair. And it felt strangely nice. He shifted slightly, leaning into her touch. She jumped slightly and looked down at him and smiled.

"Morning sleepy-head." She removed her hand from his head as he sat up.

"'ow'd I get like this?"

It was dark, so Mort couldn't tell, but he was sure she blushed. "Oh, well, um…you fell asleep with you head tipped back. It looked uncomfortable and I didn't want you to wake up with a sore neck…so I moved you."

"Wot time is it?"

"4:30."

"Mmm." He tentatively laid back down and put his head back on her lap. He started slightly when he felt Krystal's hand stroke through his hair again. She quickly removed her hand.

"Sorry," she said, sounding sheepish.

"Don' stop. Tha' feels nice," he mumbled.

Her hand returned to his head and he closed his eyes. Her movements were soothing, coaxing him back into sleep. A bloke could get used to this.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I have yet to gain ownership of the X-Men characters. Too bad.

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"Put me down!"

Sabertooth's expression went blank and he lowered Krystal to the ground. They had been in a training session and things had gotten a bit out of hand. Sabertooth had gotten a hold of Krystal by her neck and shoved her against the training room wall. She tried to fight him off, but he was much too strong and it was a futile effort. Fortunately she was able to make eye contact and use her secret weapon.

Krystal glared up at him. "Good God! Were you planning to let go before you popped my head clean off?"

By this time Sabertooth had 'woke up.' His only answer was a grin, showing his pointed teeth.

"'ey! Ya alright, pet?" Toad approach the pair. Sabertooth just rolled his eyes and walked away.

Krystal coughed. "Yeah, I'll be fine," She rubbed her bruised throat lightly. "I hate training with Saber; he plays too rough."

"Yeah, 'e don't know when ta quit. Come on, Mags 'as got a mission for ya."

Krystal nodded and followed Mort to Magneto's office. When they got there Magneto was already speaking to Tabby. He looked up as Mort and Krystal approached.

"Ah, Hypno my dear. I trust you had a good training session?"

"Yeah…good isn't really the term I would use. Let's just say I'm glad Sabertooth's on my team."

Magneto gave a small smile. He was well aware of Sabertooth's considerable strength and violent tendencies. That's why Magneto liked him. "As am I. Now, I need you and Tabby to go on a mission this evening. It should be fairly simple, so I'll just be sending the two of you. There is a small research lab in New York City where they are holding a few mutant children. They are trying to see if the X-gene can be repressed or even removed from a mutant child before the child reaches puberty. It's a small, privately owned company that is poorly guarded. All you two need to do is get inside and release the children. Does that sound simple enough?"

The girls nodded. This would be their first mission on their own. They were excited to prove themselves.

"Good. I trust you two will have no problem taking the speed boat to the mainland?"

"Nope. Not at all," Tabby answered.

"Excellent. The lab should be empty after about eight o'clock tonight. Be prepared."

With that he waved them out of his office. When the girls walked through the door they found Mort waiting just outside.

"Don' worry. You'll be fine."

Krystal grinned. "If I call for help will you come save me?"

Mort rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, pet. I'll ride up on a white 'orse an' everythin.'"

"Oh my love, I knew I could count on you!" Krystal put her hands over her heart and faked a swoon.

Mort grinned. After their movie night the two of them had grown fairly close and spent a lot of time together. She was the only person he could really joke around with like this, and secretly he liked it when she referred to him as 'my love,' even if she was just kidding around.

Tabby gave the pair a funny look. "You two are weird." She walked off with a quick wave. "Catch ya later."

Mort turned to Krystal. "So, you wanna 'elp me in the workroom?"

Krystal laughed. "I don't know why you bothered asking. You already know that I do."

Mort grinned again and the two of them headed for the workshop.

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At 8:30 that night Tabby and Krystal finally arrived at the research lab. Magneto had been right; there were absolutely no guards here. Piece of cake. Tabby used a small bomb to blast open a window. The girls turned on their flashlights and looked around. They both took in a sharp breath.

"How could they…"

"The monsters!"

Magneto had failed to mention that the children were being held in cages. They children looked at the two intruders with wide, frightened eyes. As the girls walked closer to the first cage, they saw that the children looked malnourished, their eyes sunken and sad. Krystal panned her flashlight around the room. She counted nine cages in all. She also noticed a glass storage cabinet against the wall holding all types of phials and hypodermic needles. Next to the storage cabinet were a bunch of oxygen tanks and masks. Krystal supposed they were for the children who had a negative reaction to an injection. She turned back to Tabby.

"Come on, let's get these kids out of here and to a hospital."

Tabby nodded and pushed a small bomb into the padlock of the first cage. The door swung open forcefully. She reached in to pick up the frightened child. The little girl shrunk to the back of the cage. Tabby gave her a warm smile.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We're here to help. We're going to take you away from here."

The little girl inched forward, desperately wanting to believe Tabby and Krystal were here to save her.

"That's it, it's going to be alright."

The girl crawled into Tabby's outstretched arms and wrapped her thin arms around Tabby's neck. Tabby hugged the little girl close. Tabby could feel how painfully thin the child was. Her temper flared. She would make them pay for what they had done to this girl. She was so focused on this thought that she nearly forgot the other children. Krystal tapped her shoulder, startling her from her rage.

"Hey, I need you to open the other cages. I can't pick the locks fast enough."

Tabby looked around. Eight more cages to go.

"Ok sweetie, I need to set you down so I can free the others."

The little girl looked panicked for a moment at the thought of letting go of her savior, but slowly released her grip on Tabby. Tabby walked to the next cage, blew it open, and released a small boy with flame red hair and piercing green eyes. Tabby opened six more cages. As she approached the last cage containing a small boy with a monkey-like tail, she noticed the glass storage cabinet. She knew immediately what it contained. The thought of those needles penetrating the skin of these helpless children pushed Tabby over the edge. Her anger reached an uncontrollable level and she formed a softball-sized bomb and threw it into the cabinet. The glass shattered as the bomb exploded. And then things got exponentially worse. The heat reached the oxygen tanks, causing an explosion that rocked the building and destroyed most of the wall behind the cabinet. Heat and flames seared the girls and the children. The children began screaming and crying.

"Tabby! Get these kids out of here! I'll get the last one!"

Tabby looked at the destruction and froze. She had messed up again. She may have just cost these children their lives. She couldn't move. They were screaming, and she was reminded of the guard in Senator Kelly's office. What had she done?

"Tabby! Look at me!"

Tabby looked at Krystal. She was bleeding in a few places where the glass shrapnel had cut her. Tabby wondered if she had been cut too. She didn't have time to check.

"Get out of here! Take these kids to the emergency room then take the boat back to base and tell Magneto what happened! I'll take care of things here."

Tabby's face blanked, her worries forgotten. She had work to do.

This was the first time Krystal had ever used her gift against Tabby, but Tabby wouldn't realize that until later.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Same old, same old. I own nothing, etc.

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Krystal felt guilty about using her gift on Tabby, but she felt it was necessary. Tabby had looked like she was going to have a panic attack, and a panicked person is not a useful person. But there was no time to think about that now. The flames were hot and the little boy with the tail was still in the cage, which had tipped over from the force of the explosion. Krystal quickly examined the cage. It had dented slightly, but not opened. Now she definitely wished she hadn't sent Tabby away. The boy inside was laying very still. She asked if he was alright, but he didn't respond. She ran to the wall and grabbed the fire extinguisher. She tried to use it to douse some of the flames, but to no avail. Instead she went back to the cage and slammed the bottom of the fire extinguisher downward against the padlock. It held. She tried again. This time it popped open. She tossed the extinguisher aside and ripped open the cage door and grabbed the child. She felt for a pulse. He still had one. Good. He must have hit his head when the cage tipped over and fell unconscious. He was bleeding from glass cuts just as she was. Not good. He would need to get to a hospital. She picked him up and crawled back out the window. She wondered what she could do with him. The other children looked fairly normal, but this child was obviously a mutant. Krystal didn't trust human doctors to treat him. But where else could she take him? She couldn't take him back to base; she had already told Tabby to take the boat, and she doubted Magneto would want to take care of a child. Where else would they accept an obvious mutant? Suddenly, she remembered someone Magneto had talked about, and she knew exactly where to go.

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After Tabby left the children at the emergency room of a nearby hospital she went back to the docks and started the boat. The little girl from the first cage had pleaded with her not to leave them alone, but there was nothing Tabby could do. She had orders: get to Magneto.

The trip was short, and soon she was tying the boat to the makeshift dock at their island base. She entered the base, intent on finding Magneto. Mystique saw her first.

"What the hell happened to you?" Mystique's eyes roved over Tabby, taking in her disheveled appearance. Her clothes were scorched in many places, and her skin was covered in cuts and minor burns.

Then Mort saw her. Her saw her cuts, burns, and scorched clothing, but what he didn't see was Krystal. "Where is she?" he demanded.

Tabby replied in a monotone voice, "I have to speak with Magneto."

Mystique and Mort exchanged a glance. It was obvious what Krystal had done to Tabby, and that meant they would get no answers out of her until she completed the task Krystal gave to her. They stepped aside and let Tabby walk to Magneto's office. They followed her.

Tabby didn't knock on the office door, she just opened it and walked right in. Magneto looked up, startled. Her took in her appearance and his eyes narrowed.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"We were freeing the children. They were in cages. I threw a bomb. There was an explosion. Krystal told me to take the children and leave. She told me to tell you what happened." As soon as she delivered her message, Tabby 'woke up.' She blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings. "How did I get back here?" She looked to Magneto for an answer. She immediately wished she hadn't.

Magneto was furious. "You 'threw a bomb!' 'There was an explosion!'" he screamed. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself and Hypno killed! And what about those children? Are they alright? Do you even know?"

Mystique and Mort stood in the doorway, wincing as Magneto yelled. He was awfully intimidating when he was angry. The ruckus soon attracted Sabertooth.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"The newbies had some trouble. I guess there was an explosion. Hypno sent Boom-Boom back here, but I don't know where she is now," Mystique answered.

Mort stepped into the office. "Boom, where's Krystal now?" he asked, worry apparent in his voice.

Tabby looked down at her feet and shifted uncomfortably. "I-I don't know."

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Krystal approached the main gates of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters with a renewed confidence. At first she had been apprehensive of coming here; the X-Men were considered to be enemies, after all. But the little boy had woken up on the way over here and spoke with her. He told her his name was Michael and he had been born with a tail. Then he told her something that reinforced her decision. He didn't have any parents. He had been living in an orphanage when the scientists came for him. At first he was glad, he thought they were coming to adopt him and give him a home. He hated the orphanage. The other children were so mean to him. There was now no doubt in Krystal's mind that Xavier's was the perfect place to take this child. If anyone could help him, Charles Xavier could.

She pressed the intercom button next to the gate and waited.

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Scott Summers groaned. Who the hell would be at the gate at ten o'clock at night? He looked at the video screens and saw a girl standing at the gates with a small child in her arms. He pressed a button to allow him to speak with her. "Can I help you?"

"Y-yeah. There was a fire. I have a little boy here who's hurt and needs help. Can we come in?"

"Just a moment." He zoomed in on the video screen and saw the little boy had a tail, and it was wrapped tightly around the woman's waist. The boy was obviously a mutant, but what about the woman?

"She's a mutant too." Scott startled as the Professor wheeled up beside him. "They both need medical attention. Let them in."

Scott pressed the button again. "Stand back, I'm opening the gates."

The gates opened, and Krystal carried the child to the front door of the mansion. Jean Grey met her there, with Scott and the Professor behind her.

"Come on, let's get you to the infirmary." She stretched her arms toward the child, but he shied away, clinging tightly to Krystal. Krystal gave Jean an apologetic look.

"Maybe I should just carry him there."

"That will be fine." Jean looked Krystal up and down. "You look like you could use some medical attention as well."

Krystal nodded thankfully and followed Jean down the hall to the infirmary. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Krystal, and this little cutie here is Michael."

"I'm Jean Grey, and this is my boyfriend Scott Summers and the Professor, Charles Xavier. What happened to you two?"

"There was a fire. I got Michael out of there, but I was afraid to take him to a hospital."

Jean nodded and looked back at the professor, mentally asking if she should probe for more details. The Professor shook his head. He didn't sense any danger coming from Krystal or the little boy. They looked like they had been through a lot, and he saw no need to upset them any further.

When they arrived at the infirmary Jean told Krystal to sit Michael down on one of the beds. Krystal nodded and set the boy down. After a few soothing words he eventually let go of her and allowed Jean to look him over.

"Fortunately most of the wounds are superficial. He won't need any stitches. He has a pretty big bruise on the back of his head, however. What he really needs is a good meal and some rest. Scott, could you get him something to eat?"

Scott nodded and left the room. After he left Jean examined Krystal and helped her bandage her cuts.

"How did you get so many cuts?"

"We had to break a window to get out of the building."

Jean nodded. "You're clothes are pretty destroyed. Do you want to clean up, and we'll give you some clean clothes?"

Krystal smiled gratefully. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

Jean led her to a bathroom with a shower and handed her a towel and some clothes. Fifteen minutes later Krystal emerged from the bathroom dressed in gray sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She walked over to Michael's bed. He was dressed just like she was and happily finishing a sandwich.

"Hey Mikey! How are you feeling?"

He yawned. "Sleepy."

Krystal smiled. "Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep, ok?"

Michael smiled and snuggled under the blankets. He was asleep in moments.

Krystal turned to Jean. "Could I speak to the Professor, please?"

Jean nodded. "He went up to his office. I'll take you there."

They walked to his office and before Jean could knock, the Professor told them to enter. Krystal approached his desk.

"Listen, I want to thank you for helping us tonight. You've all been so wonderful. But I have to ask another favor. Michael doesn't have a family, and I have reason to believe he was being tormented at the orphanage he was staying in. There's no way that I could take care of him. Is there any way he could stay here?"

The Professor nodded. "I believe he can. He's a bit younger than the students we usually take in, but if he has no where else to go we certainly can't turn our backs on him."

Krystal smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me. One more thing; do you think I could use your phone?"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See chapters 1-11.

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Mort was lonely.

He had been lonely all his life. All he ever wanted was someone who cared about him, a friend. Now that he had a friend, and he didn't know where she was, a whole new type of lonely pressed down on him. He was laying in his bed, trying to sleep. Magneto had forbade him from taking the helicopter and looking for Krystal. After all, he had no idea where to start looking. And the newscast he saw earlier didn't give him any clues.

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"_Eric, you should come look at this," said Mystique. _

_The Brotherhood members all stood in the den, eyes transfixed on the television._

"_Breaking news tonight from our very own New York City. It seems a local business, Watkin's Pharmaceuticals, has burned to the ground. Sources suggest the fire may have been intentionally set. Here with us tonight is Fire Chief Anderson. Mr. Anderson, what can you tell us about the blaze?"_

"_Well, Carla, the fire was very intense. As you can see behind me, the building has completely burned down. There will be very little, if any, evidence of arson to find here."_

"_Do you have any suspects?" _

"_I'm afraid not. Any security equipment this building had was destroyed in the fire."_

"_Have you found any victims?"_

"_No. It appears the building was empty when it burned down."_

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Thank God for small favors. At least Krystal hadn't been in the building when it burned down, and the camera's were destroyed, so her picture wouldn't be all over the news. Mort sighed. But it didn't help him find out where she was now. Suddenly a familiar ringing reached his ears. He angrily punched his pillow and groaned. His room shared a wall with Krystal's, and her cell phone had been ringing for twenty minutes. He finally had enough.

He leaped out of bed, tripping over the blankets he had tangled himself in. He went to Krystal's room, almost kicking the door off the hinges in his frustration. He spotted her phone on her desk. He picked up and answered it.

"Stop fuckin' callin'! She ain't gonna pick up, dammit!"

A cheerful voice answered back. "I know she's not, because I'm here, not there."

"Krystal?"

"Hey Mort. I was hoping you would pick up. I didn't have any other phone numbers memorized, so I kept calling my own phone hoping you would hear it."

A wave of relief washed through him. "Where are ya, pet? Are ya alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I hate to bother you this late, but do you think you could come get me? I'll be back at my storage garage. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, Mags told me. Sit tight, luv."

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Mort was going to tell Magneto he was taking the helicopter, but the man had already gone to bed, just like everyone else. Mort considered waking him up, but after seeing his angry tirade at Tabby earlier, he was reluctant to do anything that would cause Magneto to yell at him. He considered leaving a note, but decided against it. This would be a quick trip and he would be back before anyone saw that he had left, anyway. It looked like he was going to save Krystal after all, and he didn't even need a white horse.

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When he arrived at the storage garage he walked over to number 112 and knocked on the garage door. The door began to slide up, revealing a tried looking Krystal.

"Wow, you got here awfully quick."

Mort ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, I was worried 'bout ya."

Krystal grinned. "That's sweet. Come on in."

Mort followed her inside and looked around. It was strange to think Krystal had been living here. It didn't look very much like a home. Of course, he had seen worse.

Krystal sat on the bed and motioned for him to sit beside her. He did.

"So, how mad is Magneto right now?"

"Real mad. But not at you. Krystal, Tabby's gone."

Krystal looked confused. "She didn't make it back to the base?"

"Oh, she made it back to tha base. But after she told Mags what happened, 'e threw 'er out."

Krystal groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, this is my fault. I never should have sent her back like that. We should have stayed together."

"'ey, it's not yer fault, luv. Besides, we both know 'e would 'ave found out 'bout 'er drinkin' soon enough. 'e doesn't stand fer stuff like tha'."

Krystal sighed. "But still, I shouldn't have done that. I should have thought that through. I hope she's alright. This whole thing was such a disaster!" She leaned toward him and rested her head in his shoulder. Mort had never comforted anyone before, so he did what seemed natural. Her wrapped one arm around her shoulders and ran a hand through her hair. She snuggled closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. The two of them just sat there together in each others arms, and Mort couldn't help but think this was the most comfortable he had ever been.

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Mort woke up a few hours later, laying next to Krystal, his face a mere couple inches from hers. He glanced around. They were tangled in each others arms. But the most disconcerting thing was that Krystal's eyes were closed and her breathing was even and slow. It looked like she was _sleeping_. This was the first time he had seen her do that. In fact, he remembered her saying that she _never_ did that. She must have been more worn out than he had originally realized. He inspected her face. Unlike most people, Krystal didn't look peaceful in sleep. Her eyelids were twitching and her forehead was crinkled, as if she was concentrating really hard. Mort lifted his arm from her and glanced at his watch. 11:15. Shit. The rest of the Brotherhood would be up by now. He desperately wished he had left a note. Magneto was going to be pissed that his helicopter was gone. He brushed a stray lock of hair from Krystal's face.

"Luv, ya gotta wake up. We need ta get goin'."

Krystal let out a sleepy moan and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times before she focused on Mort. She smiled. "Hey there. Guess I dozed off."

"Ya more than dozed. It's 11:15."

Her eyes widened. "We slept that long?"

"Yeah, and we gotta go. I have ta return the copter to tha base."

Krystal nodded and sat up. She stretched and yawned. "Alright, let's get moving."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Well folks, I still don't own anyone here you recognize, nor the storyline from the first X-Men movie, which will start to make an appearance in this chapter.

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"Where have you been?" Magneto seethed. "Toad, I specifically ordered you not to take the helicopter!"

Krystal stepped forward. "I'm sorry, it's my fault he took the helicopter. I called him and told him to come get me."

Magneto turned his fury to her. "And you, what the hell happened last night? What could possibly make you think it was a good idea to send Boom Boom back here by herself? You forced Toad to take the helicopter to go get you! It's not his job to save you when you do something stupid!"

Krystal shrunk back. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't think it through. She was scared and she froze up, so I sent her away."

Magneto frowned at her. "You got lucky. The security cameras were destroyed so you didn't get yourself broadcasted all over the news last night. You two completely destroyed the building," he gave a slightly amused smile, "Which, I suppose, is an even more effective way to prevent testing on mutant children. The mission wasn't a complete loss, it seems. Did you at least get all of the children out?"

Krystal nodded, encouraged by the fact that Magneto's anger seemed to be subsiding a bit. "You bet. I had Tabby take all the children to the local hospital, except one. Michael is an obvious mutant, and I didn't trust the doctors to take care of him, so I took him to Professor Xavier's."

Magneto's eyebrows shot up when she mentioned his old friend. He looked irritated for a moment, then amused. "So, how did Charles react when you told him you were with the Brotherhood? He tried to persuade you to leave us, of course."

Krystal shook her head. "Actually, I didn't mention it. I kind of had other things on my mind. They were really nice to me, so I don't think they know I'm with you."

Magneto looked thoughtful, and then smiled at Krystal, his anger completely forgotten. "Krystal, my dear, you have just become more useful than you know."

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Later that day Mort and Krystal were working together on Magneto's machine, as usual. But something was different today. Krystal was strangely quiet. Instead of her normal joking and laughing with Mort, her only words consisted of 'okay' and 'sure thing' whenever Mort asked her to hand him a tool. It was beginning to bother him. Was she uncomfortable sleeping in his arms last night? He didn't think that was the problem. She seemed alright with it this morning. Maybe she was bothered by the tongue-lashing Magneto gave them when they got home. Although, Mort thought Magneto had taken it easy on them. It seemed he used up his best material on Tabby the night before. What had really saved them was Krystal's visit to Xavier's place. Magneto decided to use Krystal to get inside information on Cerebro and the X-Men. All she would have to do is say she wanted to visit Michael, and they would welcome her in. Krystal seemed to think it was a bit under-handed, but she didn't argue. Not after what happened to Tabby. He sighed. Tabby. Of course. Krystal was worried about her friend. That had to be it.

"Mort?"

This was the first thing she said to him without him speaking to her first. He turned around to look at her. She was sitting on the work bench, and something about her facial expression made him walk over and stand close in front of her.

"Yeah, pet?"

"Thank you."

"For wot?"

"For hanging out with me, for coming to get me last night…everything I guess." She leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. The kiss was short and when their lips separated she leaned back a little, searching his eyes. She leaned forward again, pressing her lips against his, this time a little longer. She kissed him for a few moments, until she realized he wasn't kissing her back. She shifted away from him and looked down, blushing.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" She slid off the workbench and made to walk away. "I'm so sorry."

Mort was in shock. A pretty girl was kissing him. Kissing _him. _He never thought this would happen. And now she is walking away. That thought brought him out of his stupor quickly. He didn't want to ruin this. Not now. He quickly grabbed her by the waist and lifted her back up onto the workbench. He kissed her forcefully, pouring all his pent up passion and need into the kiss. A moment later her hands were on him, exploring him. Her fingers traced the muscles of his back and arms. His arms were wrapped around her waist when her hands began to run down his chest.

Someone cleared their throat. Mort jumped back from Krystal, and Krystal almost fell off the workbench. They both blushed and looked at Mystique, who had entered the workroom, unnoticed until now.

"This ain't wot it looks like…"

"We weren't…"

Mystique smirked. "I don't care what you two do with your personal lives. I just need Toad to refuel the helicopter."

Mort nodded, still blushing. "Y-yeah, I can do tha'."

"Good. I'll leave you two alone." Mystique smiled suggestively and left the workroom.

Mort turned back to Krystal. She was still sitting on the workbench, her hair was mussed and her lips were red and swollen from their kisses. He thought she looked damn good that way. He suddenly didn't know what to do. He knew he wanted to kiss her again, but Mystique and ruined the moment. Their kisses had been impulsive, passionate, raw. But what about now? Would it be the same? Would she still want to kiss him? He didn't know, he had never been in this position before.

"I-I should go refuel tha copter." He turned quickly and walked from the room. Krystal looked after him, looking and feeling a bit rejected.

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Over the next few days an awkward tension had formed between Mort and Krystal. They hadn't talked about what happened in the workroom, and they were both too embarrassed to bring it up. Instead they continued on as if nothing had happened. But as hard as they tried to ignore it, there was still something there. Something that they were both too scared to act upon.

Magneto's machine was nearing completion. Mort was in the workroom spray painting it when he heard Sabertooth's heavy footsteps approaching. Magneto had sent him to capture and bring back a certain mutant, but his obvious temper made it clear that he failed. Mort smirked, he couldn't help himself.

"Weren't ya supposed to bring someone back wit' you?"

Sabertooth snarled and stomped toward Magneto's office.

"Nice job, babe. Poke the bear."

Mort turned and saw Krystal standing in the doorway. He snorted. "'e ain't gonna do anythin'."

Krystal shrugged. "I dunno, he looked pretty pissed. I wouldn't put it past him to give you a good ol' fashioned mauling."

Mort smirked. "C'mon, ya know that over-grown fleabag can' catch me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She crouched down beside him. "You need any help?"

"Nah, I'll be done in a few minutes."

"In that case, you wanna watch a movie with me?"

Mort looked at her. They hadn't watched a movie together for awhile. "Sure, pet."

She grinned. "Great! I'll go put a frozen pizza in the oven." She stood up and walked out of the room.

Mort sighed. Things hadn't been the same since the workroom incident. They used to have such a good time together, but now it was so awkward. Mort guessed this movie-night was her way to try to patch their friendship back together, to put things back the way they were. If she just wanted to be friends, well, he supposed he could live with that. He wanted more, but a friend was better than nothing.

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Authors Note: Heads up, readers. There will be an adult scene in the next chapter. If that offends you, please feel free to skip over it.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men characters, but you already knew that.

If you didn't read the author's note in the last chapter, there will be a mild adult scene in this chapter, so if this offends you, go ahead and skip it.

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Mort entered the den to find Krystal setting a couple of beers on the coffee table. He took a seat on the couch and grabbed one. Krystal sat down next to him.

"Pizza should be done in about fifteen minutes. What do you want to watch?"

He shrugged. "Don' care. You pick."

Krystal moved off the couch and put in a comedy. They sat together on the couch for a few minutes watching the previews before Krystal stood up.

"I better go check on the pizza."

She came back a few minutes later, pizza in hand. She set it down on the coffee table and plopped herself down next to Mort. Mort leaned forward and grabbed a slice.

"Careful! It's hot!"

Too late. Mort yelped as the hot pizza burned his mouth. His tongue shot out of his mouth and wrapped around his beer bottle. He brought the bottle to his mouth and took a large pull of the blessedly cool liquid. When the burning sensation in his mouth subsided he turned to Krystal, who was laughing.

"Oh Mort, I love your tongue tricks!" She stopped laughing for a moment, realizing what she just said. Then she just laughed harder. "Oh man, that came out much more sexual than I intended it to. Sorry pal."

Mort blushed. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about that. And knowing that Krystal had just thought about that was making him blush even more. "N-no problem, luv."

Krystal smiled. "I missed this. You and me hanging out like this."

"Me too."

She smiled again and took a slice of pizza.

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A few hours later they were still on the couch, the pizza and the beer long finished. Things had gotten sufficiently more comfortable between them. Mort was sitting with Krystal's upper body laying across his lap and he was slowly stroking his fingers across her back. She yawned and stretched.

"You want some popcorn?"

"Sure pet."

"I'll be right back." She got off the couch and went to the kitchen.

Mort felt great. It seemed things were back to normal between them. He shifted slightly. He had been sitting in the same position for hours. He laid down on his back, stretching out on the couch. When Krystal came back with a large bowl of popcorn she eyed Mort and smiled.

"You couch hog, where am I supposed to sit?"

Mort smirked. "Right 'ere, luv." He patted the small space of couch between him and the backrest.

To his shock she set the bowl down on the coffee table and tried to lay down in that small space. There wasn't much room, so half of her body was on the couch, the rest was laying on top of Mort. He had not expected her to do that. He willed his body not to react to the girl who was practically laying on top of him. They continued to watch the movie in silence, both forgetting about the popcorn sitting on the coffee table.

When the movie ended and the credits were rolling Krystal looked up at Mort. "Would you rewind it a bit? I want to see if that one actor was the guy from that one T.V. show."

Mort raised an eyebrow. "Tha' one actor from tha' one T.V. show? I'm not rewindin' anythin' 'til ya start makin' sense." He snagged the remote and held it out of her reach.

"Hey! Come on, that's not fair!" She tried to grab the remote, but it was too far away. She moved up and giggled, reaching for the remote. As she reached, her body moved more and more on top of Mort. Soon she was completely on top of him, still laughing. When she finally got the remote she looked down at Mort and grinned triumphantly. "Ha! Success!"

Mort couldn't take it anymore. He craned his neck up and kissed her. To his delight she instantly reacted and started kissing him back, tangling her fingers in his hair. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip, begging for entrance. He hesitated a moment, what if she didn't like his taste? She nibbled at his lip, and he relented. Mort moaned when her tongue touched his. She was delicious. Suddenly, he wanted more than to taste; he wanted to touch. Slowly, in case she freaked out, he brought his hands to the hem of her shirt, and began to slide them under the fabric. Krystal made an encouraging noise. He moved his hands further up, savoring the feel of her soft skin. He pushed his hands under her bra and let her breasts fill his hands. Krystal moaned and pressed herself against his hardening arousal. He took in a sharp breath and broke their kiss.

"Luv, do…do you want to take this ta my room?"

"God yes."

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After stumbling down the hall, unable to keep their hands off each other, they found themselves in Mort's room. They stood in the middle of the room, still locked together. Krystal grabbed the hem of Mort's shirt and pulled it over his head. She ran her hands down his bare chest. He groaned as her fingers began to unbutton his pants and he reached out and peeled off her shirt. He reached behind her and unhooked her bra as he felt his pants slip off his hips. He stepped out of them and picked Krystal up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her to his bed and set her on her back, climbing on top of her. He reached down and unbuttoned her jeans, she lifted her hips to help him take them off. He yanked them and her panties off and looked down at her.

"Luv, I hope ya want this. I don' think I can stop now," he said breathlessly.

She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked in his eyes, "I don't want you too stop. I want this…I want you."

He pressed his lips to hers and kicked off his boxers. He pushed her back against the mattress and entered her slowly, stopping when he was fully inside to give her time to adjust. He waited a few moments and then began to move. He groaned. He had no idea this would feel so good. Krystal suddenly gasped and arched her back in pleasure.

"Oh God, right there!"

He was more than happy to comply. Within a few minutes they were both breathing hard and moaning. Mort felt Krystal tighten around him, and she came, screaming his name. The feeling of her clenching around him and the sound of her passionate cry coaxed his release from him. He cried out and then looked at her with half-lidded eyes, exhausted and spent. She reached up and pulled him down to her, resting his head on her chest. She ran her fingers through his damp hair and stroked his back. He felt so good, so relaxed. He was asleep in moments.

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Authors Note: Yes, I realize this is poorly written. Sorry folks.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own the X-Men characters nor the plot of the movies.

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When Mort woke up he found Krystal laying in his arms, facing away from him with her back pressed against his chest. They were both still naked from the night before. He couldn't see her face, but he was sure she was asleep. He smiled to himself. He had worn her out. He liked that. He thought about the night before, how she had said she wanted him, the way it felt to be sheathed inside her, the way she called his name. He felt himself growing hard. He pressed his lips to Krystal's shoulder and began making a trail of kisses across her shoulder and up her neck, until her reached her earlobe, giving it a playful nip. Krystal gave a small moan and rolled over to face him. She saw his mischievous grin and gave him a sleepy smile.

"Mmm…what a lovely way to wake up. A girl could get used to this." She brought her lips to his. He deepened the kiss and pushed her gently onto her back. Yes, this was a lovely way to wake up.

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Magneto's machine was finished. All that was left to do was give it a test run, and of course, Magneto was thinking big. Really big. Senator Kelly big. Mort was sitting in the pilot's seat of the helicopter getting ready to take off to capture the senator. Krystal was sitting in the co-pilot seat, keeping him company until Mystique was ready to leave.

"So this is going to be real easy, right? You'll be back soon?"

Mort smirked. He thought it was funny when she fussed like this. This was going to be quick mission. Mystique had already worked her way into Kelly's inner circle by impersonating one of his personal guards. All Mort needed to do was fly the helicopter and protect Mystique if something went wrong, but he knew it wouldn't. Mystique was careful, meticulous. He reminded Krystal of this. She nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just worried. There's going to be a lot of armed guards and police officers."

Mort shrugged. He wasn't worried. This was nothing he couldn't handle. He looked past Krystal as Mystique approached the helicopter. "Ya ready ta go?"

Mystique nodded and climbed into the helicopter. Krystal got out of her seat and leaned down to give Mort a quick peck on the lips. "Be careful, ok?"

Mort noticed Mystique rolling her eyes. He blushed slightly, but was secretly pleased Krystal would kiss him in front of someone else. "Don' worry, luv. I'll be back before ya know it."

Krystal gave a soft smile and climbed out of the helicopter. After Mystique had settled herself into the co-pilot's seat, the two took off to pay their favorite senator a visit.

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Mort smiled to himself as Mystique led the senator into their helicopter. The hard part was over. Mystique could take care of the senator from here no problem. The poor bastard still had no idea who Mystique really was. Mort could hear bits and pieces of their conversation behind him.

"If it were up to me, I'd lock them all away. It's a war. It's the reason why people like me exist."

Pompous ass. Mort's hands tightened on the controls, his knuckles turning a lighter shade of green. It took all his strength not to hop back there and snap that asshole's neck. He grinned and relaxed his grip as he heard the senators panicked voice call for him and the unmistakable sound of Mystique at work. Once the senator was incapacitated Mystique came to the front and took her seat. They exchanged a grin. They would be back at base soon, and then the real fun would begin.

When they arrived at the base Mystique jumped out of the helicopter, leaving Mort to deal with the senator. He went to the back and hefted the senator over his shoulders. The senator groaned, but didn't wake. Mort was glad. If Kelly had been frightened by Mystique, well, who knew what would happen if he saw Mort carrying him? The idiot would probably have a heart attack.

He carried Kelly to the cell they had set aside for him. Mort set him down none too gently, his head smacking the metal wall with a dull thud. The senator groaned again, and Mort smirked. A little thump on the head was the least of the senator's problems.

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Krystal stood at the gates of Xavier's school and pressed the button for the intercom. While Mort and Mystique had gone to gather the senator, Magneto had sent Krystal to find out what she could about the two mutants Sabertooth had come across. He said they had been collected by the X-Men, so they most likely would be at the mansion now. After the gates opened, Krystal walked to the front door and was greeted enthusiastically be Michael. As soon as she opened the door he launched himself into her arms.

"Hey Mikey! How are you doing?" She asked, hugging him tightly.

"I'm good! Guess what happened today?"

"What?"

"We got a new girl! And there's this scary guy, too."

"A new girl? And a scary guy? Sounds like you've had an exciting day."

"Uh-huh! Come on!" He tugged on her hand and led her to the living room. "Come meet Rogue! She's the new girl. She's real nice."

Krystal suppressed a smile and let the little boy lead her around. He was certainly making this easy for her. She suddenly felt a small pang of guilt. What was she doing? She was using this sweet little boy for information. She tried to shrug off her guilt. This was for the greater good, right? She certainly hoped it was.

Michael led her to the couch, where a pretty girl with long brown hair was shyly watching a boy while he used his gift to create small ice sculptures. The boy looked up from his work and gave the girl a smile, and the girl blushed. Krystal grinned as Michael jumped onto the couch space between them, startling them both.

"Rogue! This is my friend, Krystal! She brought me here."

Rogue looked up and smiled at Krystal. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too. How do you like it here so far?"

Rogue glanced quickly at the boy sitting next to Michael. She blushed slightly. "I like it a lot."

Krystal grinned. Oh, the teenage crush. "What about the scary guy?"

Rogue looked confused. "Scary guy?"

Michael piped up, "Yeah! The really tall one, with the claws."

Rogue laughed. "Oh, Logan. He's a pretty good guy, maybe a bit scary. He's upstairs in the Professor's office if you want to go up there and meet him."

"I think I'll do just that."

Krystal left the room and headed for the stairs. So far this was going well. She reached the Professor's office and knocked on the door. She heard the Professor's voice in her head, telling her to enter. She let herself in and saw Scott, Jean, Storm, and the Professor all in the office, along with a man in a gray sweatshirt. This must be Michael's 'scary guy.' Krystal put on a smile and extended her hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Kryst-ah!" She yelped and hopped back as the tall man extended his claws and lunged at her. She tried to dodge him but he was quick and soon he had her backed up against the wall. He snarled in her face.

"You smell like him! Where is he? Who the hell are you?"

"Logan!" The Professor scolded, and Scott tried to wrestle Logan off of Krystal. "Release her immediately!"

"No!" He barked in reply. "She smells like that guy, the one that attacked us. Sabertooth!"

Scott let go of Logan and looked at Krystal. "You ran into Sabertooth? Are you alright?"

Jean's eyes narrowed, and her normally friendly voice grew cold. "You didn't just run into him, did you? You're with him, you're with Magneto!" She whirled around to face the Professor. "I knew we should have read her mind before! I sensed there was something wrong about her!"

The Professor looked at Krystal. "Is this true? Are you with Magneto? Do you understand what he is capable of? How far he is willing to go for his cause?"

Before she could answer, Storm interrupted. "What about Michael?" She demanded. "Are you just using him to spy on us?"

"No! We really did need help, and I really do like him! He has nothing to do with the Brotherhood!"

Logan growled. "What does Magneto want with me?"

Krystal began to feel a slight prickling sensation at the back of her mind. She gasped and locked eyes with the Professor. "Stay out of my head!"

The Professor's face blanked and the sensation went away. Jean ran to his side. "Professor? Professor!" She glared at Krystal. "What did you do to him?"

Instead of answering, Krystal looked at Logan, who was still standing in front of her. "Fight them," She said, gesturing to the three X-Men. He immediately complied, lunging at Scott. Scott fired a warning laser at him, but it didn't slow Logan down. The big man kept coming, forcing Scott to fight in earnest to keep from having his head taken off. While the X-Men tried to find a way to subdue Logan without harming him, Krystal ran out the office doors and back down the stairs.

"Krystal, where are you going?"

Krystal looked at Michael and crouched down to his height. "I'm sorry, honey. I have to go now, and I won't be able to come back for a long time. Maybe never. But I'll try, ok?" She gave him a quick hug and kissed the top of his head. She stood up and ran out the front doors, leaving behind a very confused little boy.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: You're all smart people, you know I don't own any of this.

Warning: There will be graphic scene in the last half of this chapter. If you find that offensive, please feel free to skip over it. Sorry for not posting this warning in the previous chapter.

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Senator Kelly awoke to find himself strapped to a chair, outside in the cool breeze. He looked around and found his situation was worse than he had imaged: he was surrounded by mutants. He saw the blue woman from the helicopter watching him and a huge, hulking mutant with long hair standing behind him. The huge male just stared at him, making the senator's blood run cold. He turned away, unable to hold the mutant's gaze. Two more mutants were a short distance in front of him. A green man was crouching on a rock, glaring at Kelly. A blond girl sat beside him, with her legs dangling off the rock, swinging them childishly back and forth. Suddenly the green man's head cocked to the side and his tongue shot out, snagging a bird. In a moment the bird disappeared into his mouth. As he chewed he held eye contact with the senator. It was quite unnerving. Even worse, the blond girl grinned playfully at the green man and kissed him on the cheek. Kelly shuddered and nearly gagged. These people were disgusting.

"Toad has a wicked tongue, Senator. Just like you."

Senator Kelly turned to see a distinguished looking man approaching him. The man stepped in front of him and the blue woman joined him. "Who are you people? Where's Henry?"

"Mr. Guyrich has been dead for some time, Senator. But I've had Mystique here keep you company. She takes so many shapes."

"Whatever you do to me, you'll make me right. Every word I've spoken will be confirmed," Kelly said, as he watched the blue woman walk away.

"Are you a God-fearing man, Senator? It's such a strange phrase. I've always thought of God as a teacher, as a bringer of light, wisdom, and understanding. You see, what I think you are really afraid of is me. Me and my kind, the Brotherhood of Mutants."

Magneto chuckled lightly, turning toward his machine. "It's not so surprising, really," he continued. Senator Kelly began to panic as his chair began sliding forward, following Magneto. "Mankind has always feared what it doesn't understand."

The chair finally stopped moving, leaving the Senator seated in front of a large metal contraption. "Well, don't fear God, Senator, and certainly don't fear me. Not any more." With those words Magneto stepped up into the machine.

"What do you intend to do to me?"

"Let's just say that God works too slowly." Magneto rode a platform to the top of the machine and locked himself in. The large ring at the top began to rotate around him, faster and faster, until an eerie bright light began to emit from it. Magneto appeared to be in great pain, and as the light encompassed Kelly, he felt the pain too, and cried out. Then, in a moment the light pulled back toward the machine and disappeared.

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After he had been dragged back to his cell Senator Kelly laid on his uncomfortable bed. He knew he was right: mutants were monsters. If…no, _when_ he got back, he would make them pay. All of them. This 'Brotherhood' would be first. Then Jean Grey and those students she was hiding. Magneto had just given him the greatest gift imaginable. He turned Kelly into a living martyr. He now had proof of what mutants would do to humans. He rolled over onto his side, trying to get comfortable. But just what had Magneto done to him? He wasn't sure. It had hurt, he knew that much. Magneto said not to fear him anymore, and that God works too slowly. Kelly sat up suddenly, eyes widening. He couldn't have meant…it couldn't be possible…could it? No, of course not. The light had hurt him, but he felt fine now. If he was mutating, wouldn't he feel it? Of course he would, he assured himself. He lay back down, trying to push those thoughts from his head and get some much needed sleep. But there was no sleep to be found for the Senator that night.

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While Senator Kelly tossed and turned, Krystal and Mort were in the workshop. Though Magneto's machine was finished, Mort always found something to tinker with in the shop. It was what he was best at. Krystal was in an excellent mood, sitting on the workbench swinging her legs back and forth and humming a tune. Every few seconds her humming became muffled. Mort looked up from his work, removing his goggles to see what was causing that. Krystal was licking an ice cream cone, while still trying to hum. Mort shot her an amused smile.

"Where'd ya get tha', pet?"

"Kitchen. You want in on it? It's chocolate." She held to ice cream cone out toward him, and though he was a good five feet away from her, he extended his tongue to lick the ice cream. Krystal giggled and moved the cone closer to her mouth so she could have some too. Mort suddenly got a devious idea. He purposely pushed the ice cream roughly with his tongue, causing some of it to fall out of the cone and onto Krystal, and since she was wearing a tank top, it began to slide down between her breasts. She squeaked at the sudden cold sensation and tried to stop the ice cream from sliding completely down her shirt. She glanced up and noticed Mort's mischievous grin, and decided to play along with his little game. She wiped some of the ice cream off the tops of her breasts with her fingers and brought them to her mouth and licked the ice cream off of them.

"Mmm…ice cream might just be better this way. You want to try?" she asked, putting an ice cream covered finger in her mouth and sending him a seductive look. Mort licked his lips and stepped closer to her. This was going exactly as he had hoped it would. His tongue slowly snaked out of his mouth and began to lick Krystal's chest. She moaned lightly and hooked a finger under the waistband of his pants and pulled him close against her. Her fingers began to work at the button of his pants, but he gently pushed her hands away. There would be time for that later. Right now, he wanted to try something. When he had licked her breasts clean he captured her lips in a chocolately kiss and began to undo the button of her jeans. Once he had successfully gotten them off of her he moved his tongue down between her legs and gave her an experimental lick. Krystal gasped. Mort removed his tongue and looked at her.

"If this is ta weird, luv, I'll stop."

Krystal shook her head, her eyes filled with lust. "N-no. Don't stop."

His tongue darted out again, running over her heated skin briefly before he plunged it inside her. Krystal gasped at the pleasurable intrusion and began to squirm. Mort wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest to keep her from falling off of the workbench. She rested her forehead against his shoulder as he wriggled his tongue inside her. If her rapid breathing and pleasured moans were any indication, she was close to reaching her orgasm. He reached one of his hands down and began to play with her sensitive flesh. Her breath hitched and she screamed out. She rested her forehead against him again and when her breathing began to slow to normal she started pressing kisses to his neck, working her way up to his mouth. By now Mort's need was great, and he ached to bury himself inside her again. Their lips met in a hungry kiss and Krystal made quick work of the button and zipper on his pants, letting them fall down his hips. She wrapped her legs around him and he entered her with one quick thrust. He groaned loudly as their bodies rocked together. Soon he felt his orgasm building, and he wanted to hear Krystal scream his name again before he came. He reached down between them and rubbed her again.

"Come fer me, I want ta 'ear ya screamin' my name," he whispered breathlessly in her ear.

Krystal's breathing picked up again and she bucked wildly against him as she came.

"O-oh, Mort!"

That was all he needed. He yelled loudly as he came, clutching Krystal to him. They rested, foreheads together, as their breathing slowed to an easy, in sync pace. Krystal let out a satisfied sigh and smiled.

"Please tell me we can eat ice cream together more often."

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Author's Note: Thank you to all of you who read this and actually take the time to review, it definitely inspires me to keep writing. And a special thank you to the wonderful Animelover210, whose idea inspired the last half of this chapter (although I substituted ice cream for pizza).


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men franchise, too bad for me.

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The next day the Brotherhood members had started taking turns bringing Senator Kelly his meals. Toad had brought Kelly breakfast (actually, he just pushed the toast through the bars), and now it was Krystal's turn to bring him lunch. She had made him a simple sandwich and brought it to the door. She peered into the small room and saw him laying on his back on the bed. He appeared to be sleeping. She sighed. She didn't want to just leave the sandwich on the floor. She grabbed the key from the hook beside the door and let herself in. She set the sandwich down on the small table and took this opportunity to inspect the senator. He didn't look any different, and no one had seen him do anything abnormal. It seemed Magneto's machine hadn't worked just yet. She turned around and headed for the door.

"Have you come to taunt me?" It appeared the good Senator had been feigning sleep.

"No, actually. I've brought you lunch," she said, gesturing to the sandwich on the table as she walked toward the door.

Kelly sat up and looked at the sandwich, then back to Krystal. "Thank you."

Krystal, who had nearly reached to door, stopped and turned to the senator. He had thanked her, a mutant, for something so small as a sandwich. And his voice had sounded so…defeated. A small smirk played on her lips. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, she thought to herself. She walked over to his bed.

"How do you feel, Senator? Any changes you want to report?"

"No, I don't think that machine of yours worked. I'm glad you're here. I want to talk to you about something. If you get me out of here, I could do things for you. Any police records, any damaging files, I could have them destroyed. You look normal. You could have a normal life. All if you just let me out of here."

Krystal's eye twitched slightly. "I 'look normal?' I am normal. There's nothing wrong with me! Mutants are the future, Senator. Soon humans will be the strange ones, not us. As for a normal life? You mean a house with a yard and a picket fence? Some kids and a dog? That's not for me."

"You can't possible aspire to be nothing more than a terrorist."

"Terrorist? If you say so. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. That's what I do, fight for the rights of mutants."

"What you do is terrorism, nothing more."

"Well, you can think that if you wish. But something you should know is that you created me. Has it ever occurred to you that your witch-hunts are what create 'terrorists?'" She smirked. "You and people like you are what make people like me. But I suppose I should thank you. My life has gotten substantially better since I joined this Brotherhood."

Kelly gave a disgusted look. "Yes, I saw your…boyfriend."

Krystal's smile widened. "Yeah, he's really something, isn't he? By the way, that tongue of his is used for better things than snagging pigeons," she added with a wink.

Kelly looked more disgusted, and decided to change the topic. "What will you do with me, if you won't let me go free?"

Krystal shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe you'll be free to go. Once you mutate, you probably won't want to, however. The world is quite cruel to mutants. But you know all about that, don't you?"

The senator winced. He had thought of that, of course. He had spent so much time turning people against mutants, there was no way they would accept him if he was one. Would other mutants accept him? He doubted it.

"There's a war coming, Senator. Soon mutants everywhere will come together to take what should already be ours; freedom from prejudice, equality. That's really all we want. Is that really so unreasonable? I certainly don't think so."

"But you mutants are dangerous! Your war will kill thousands!"

Krystal held up her hand to silence the senator. "First of all, it's _we_ mutants. You _will_ mutate, I'm sure of it. Second, if history has taught us anything, it's that true change is only accomplished through the use of violence. A war is just what we need. A war, Senator, that you yourself caused. Congratulations. Now if you don't mind, I have lunch plans with Toad."

With that she turned and left Kelly alone in his cell, with a sandwich and much to think about.

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Later that evening Senator Kelly's body began to ache. He sighed as he leaned his head against the metal bars on his window. Did that girl poison him? He should have known not to trust a mutant. Suddenly, he felt his face begin to squeeze through the bars. He drew back in surprise. Then, out of curiosity, he pushed his head against the bars again. Sure enough, it began to slide through. So it had finally happened. He had mutated. He pushed a little harder. His head popped all the way through the bars. Perhaps his new talent could prove useful.

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A half an hour later when Magneto and Sabertooth tore into the senator's meager quarters, they found the room empty. Magneto glanced around the room quickly, his eyes finally settling on the window, the only means of escape. He easily tore the bars from the wall and looked down. A grin spread across his face when he saw the senator dangling from the rock face.

Kelly looked up. "What have you done to me?" he demanded.

Magneto just chuckled. "Really, senator, this is pointless. Where will you go? Who will take you in now that you're one of us?"

Kelly felt tears forming in his eyes as he clung to the rock face. Magneto was right. His own family wouldn't want him. He startled when his felt Sabertooth's clawed hand grasp his hand to pull him up. Then his fingers began to stretch, and Sabertooth couldn't hold on. Kelly's voice caught in his throat as he plummeted to the ocean below.

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Mort and Krystal were sitting on the couch in the den watching the local news report. People had begun to realize that the senator had gone missing. Suddenly Magneto stormed past them on his way to his office. Krystal lifted her head from Mort's shoulder.

"Hey! Folks have noticed that Kelly's gone, has he mutated yet?"

Magneto didn't answer. He just continued briskly to his office and slammed the door. A loud roar rang through the halls. Mort smirked and removed his arm from around Krystal's shoulders.

"C'mon. We better go see what 'tooth's so pissed-off about."

Krystal stood up. "Well, all right, but you go first. I hate Saber when he's pissed."

They followed Sabertooth's enraged roars down the hall to the cell where Senator Kelly had been staying. They looked through the bars and saw Sabertooth pacing back and forth through the small room. As soon as he noticed them, he snarled.

"Let me outta here!"

Krystal stepped forward to grab the key off the wall, but Mort stopped her.

"'old on a moment, luv. I kinda like 'im behind bars. Maybe we should just leave 'im 'ere for awhile."

Sabertooth fixed Mort with a death glare. "Don't you dare leave me in here!"

Krystal looked thoughtful. "You know, you might be onto something. Mystique is out looking for that mutant, Magneto will probably keep to himself all night, and with Saber in here, we would have the place to ourselves." She stepped away from the door and smirked at Sabertooth. "Sorry bro, but I think I'll just let you hang out here tonight. We'll come get you in the morning."

Sabertooth angrily grasped the metal bars as Krystal and Mort turned and walked away.

Mort turned to Krystal. "Ya realize we're gonna 'ave ta run like 'ell when 'e gets out."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." She turned and walked back to Sabertooth, who was still glaring. "Listen pal, you're going to go ahead and forget this conversation. In fact, you never saw us. Got it?"

Sabertooth's eyes glazed over and he nodded slowly. Krystal grinned suggestively at Mort. "There. That should take care it. C'mon, I know what we can do with our time alone."

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That same evening found Mystique sneaking around the outside grounds of Xavier's institute. She slipped in through an open window, being careful not to set off the security system she suspected was there. She paused for a moment after she was fully inside the school and listened. She didn't hear anything. She let out a relieved breath. Honestly, Xavier was making this too easy. She traveled down the hall and then up the stairs to the student's dorms.

Krystal had explained to Mystique what Rogue looked like, and also what Rogue's crush looked like. Mystique set out to find Bobby, he would be perfect for getting close to Rogue, but she needed to make sure he was out of the way before she imitated him. Couldn't have two Bobbys in the same place at the same time.

A hoarse call for help sent Mystique scrambling for a hiding place. Lack of time and options sent her diving behind the floor-length curtains of a nearby window. It wasn't ideal, of course, but she doubted anyone would look too closely and see her. Besides, she could see into the hall from here. In a moment the doors of the dorm rooms flew open and students poured into the hall, all looking for source of the call. The voice sounded again and Mystique watched as Storm ran past her to a room down the hall, followed by the crowd of students. Mystique wanted to know what was happening, but couldn't risk moving and getting caught. After a few minutes the crowd of students gasped and a brunette girl ran away from them and past Mystique. She fit Krystal's description. The tall blond boy who was watching the brunette intently hadn't escaped Mystique's attention. He fit Krystal's other description. Mystique let her trademark smirk grace her face. This was too easy.

As the commotion died down and the students went back to their rooms Mystique made sure to watch what room Bobby went into. He and another boy went into one two doors down from her hiding place. Once the halls were completely quiet again she slipped out from behind the curtains and explored the mansion as she waited for morning.

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The next morning Mystique snuck up to Bobby's room. She took the guise of Rogue and knocked on the door. A tousle-haired boy answered the door. Wrong boy. Mystique made Rogue's face smile sweetly.

"Can I talk to Bobby? Alone please?"

The boy nodded and slipped past her, giving her a wide berth, as if he was afraid to touch her. He probably was. Mystique entered the room and shut the door. Bobby sat up in his bed and looked concerned.

"Rogue? Don't mind John, he's just-"

Two quick strikes and Bobby was rendered unconscious. Mystique tucked him back under the covers of his bed. If anyone came looking for him, they would just think he was asleep. She shifted her form to match Bobby's and left the room, looking for Rogue. She wasn't hard to find. She was sitting all alone on a bench out in the yard. She almost looked relieved to see Bobby walking toward her.

"Rogue."

"Bobby?"

"Rogue, what did you do? They say you're stealing other mutants' powers."

"No, no, I just borrowed his power!"

"You _never_ use your powers against another mutant."

"I had no choice!" Rogue said, desperate to Bobby understand. "No, you have to understand-"

"If I were you, I would get myself out of here."

Rogue looked hurt. "What do you mean?"

"Listen, the kids are freaked. Professor Xavier is furious. I don't know what he'll do with you! I think it'd be easier on your own."

Mystique's words were having the desired effect, Rogue looked like she was taking them seriously. "You should go."

Rogue stood up, looking more hurt than ever. She walked away, casting one last glance back at Bobby/Mystique before she left. Mystique smiled to herself. Teenagers were so easy to manipulate.

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Author's Note: Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I have a lot of work to do these days, so the next few chapters may be delayed as well.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: As you all know, I don't own anything you recognize. I'm just borrowing it.

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After sabotaging Cerebro Mystique returned to the Brotherhood base and informed them all of her success. Rogue had left the mansion, and Mystique was sure she would head to the train station: it was, after all, the fastest and cheapest way to get far away from one's troubles.

Magneto, Toad, and Sabertooth went to the train station to gather Rogue while Mystique and Krystal stayed inside the helicopter. While they were waiting Mystique was trying to teach Krystal how to fly the helicopter.

"You think you got it? Here, take the controls and just try to hover for a bit. It's harder than it looks."

Mystique relinquished the controls to Krystal, who gasped as the helicopter veered violently to the left. Mystique grabbed the controls again and smirked.

"See, I told you. Try again."

Krystal tried again, and the helicopter veered again, but not as much.

"So…you and Toad, huh?" Mystique shook her head. "Didn't see that coming."

"Yeah, well, Mort's a real good guy. I don't think people take the time to tell him that very often."

Mystique shrugged. "If you say so." She looked out the window. "Good God, look!"

Krystal leaned over and looked. "Oh Jesus! They're going to be killed!"

Magneto, Toad, and Sabertooth were standing in front of the train station. Toad had a large bag slung over his shoulder, and they were surrounded by police.

"We gotta get down there! They're going to need help!"

Mystique snorted. "Are you stupid? We can't land down there, we'll be killed."

Krystal sighed and looked out the window again. It was difficult to tell from their distance, but it didn't seem like Magneto was overly concerned about the situation. Instead he raised his arms and two police cars lifted above the police officer's heads, only to come crashing back down. Then all their guns were yanked from their hands and turned against them. Mystique smirked.

"See? Eric's got this covered." Her smirk faded and she frowned. "Shit, what the hell is that hair-brained buffoon doing?" Both women watched as Sabertooth wrapped a large, clawed hand around Magneto's neck.

"Son of a bitch! What's wrong with him?" Krystal yelped, watching the tense scene unfold below them. A few words were exchanged, and then a gun fired. The women watched, interested, but didn't see anyone fall. They couldn't tell which gun had gone off, but it appeared it had missed. A couple moments later Sabertooth released his grasp on Magneto.

"Alright, let's go." Mystique lowered the helicopter to the ground and the men piled in. Toad dropped the bag containing Rogue on the floor of the aircraft and sat down. Krystal moved from the front of the helicopter to the back to sit beside him.

"So, what happened down there? Looks like Saber went off the deep end."

"Nah, it was just Xavier. 'e 'n tha' Jean Grey got in our 'eads." He scowled. "I 'ate tha'."

"I'm just glad you're alright. I thought Saber turned on us, and he's the kinda guy I prefer to have on my team."

Mort smiled. It was a nice feeling having someone care about him like this. He had never really experienced it before. "No worries, luv, everything worked out."

Krystal grinned. "I see you snagged yourself a pair of sunglasses. Pretty nice."

"Oh, yeah. Got 'em off tha' Cyclops guy." He lowered the glasses over his eyes. "Wha' do ya think?"

"Mmm…sexy. Come here." Krystal leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. Mort tried to deepen the kiss, but was interrupted.

"Hey, keep it in yer pants, frog-boy. I don't wanna see this." Sabertooth snarled.

Krystal drew back and held up her hands in mock surrender. "Ok, fine, we'll try to restrain ourselves until we get back to base. She give you any trouble?" She asked, motioning toward the bag.

Sabertooth shrugged. "Wouldn't know. Mag's took care of her. Toad and me just had to fight a couple of weak X-Men."

Toad sniggered. "Yeah, but ya still got yer ass blasted clear through a wall. What does that say 'bout ya?"

Sabertooth snarled and raised his middle finger. "It says I might just be enjoying some frog-legs tonight if you don't shut yer trap."

Mort stood up. "Why wait fer tonight, 'airball? I'm still up fer a fight; those X-Men weren't much of a challenge."

Krystal stood up too. "Whoa, easy baby. You two get fighting in here and you'll crash the copter and kill us all."

Sabertooth smirked at Mort. "We'll finish this later. Besides, I don't wanna embarrass you in front of your girl when I mop the floor with ya."

Magneto's voice rang out from the front of the small aircraft. "Honestly, you all behave like children. Try to contain yourselves, we're almost home. Toad, when we get there I need you to put Rogue in a holding cell. Make absolutely sure there is no way her skin could come in contact with anyone else's. The sedative I gave her will keep her out for a few more hours, make sure she's covered when she wakes up."

"Sure thing, boss."

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Rogue woke up a few hours later and found herself tied up in a small room. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard floor and groaned. She was so stupid! Why did she leave? Just because some boy told her too? Just because some _cute_ boy told her too? Ridiculous. What was she thinking? She couldn't make it on her own. She had tried before, and was probably only still alive thanks to Logan. How long did she really think she could hide her mutation? People would have found out, then probably try to kill her. The death-touch doesn't usually play well with the normals. She should have stayed at the mansion. Stayed with Logan. Tears prickled in her eyes. Logan. He had only ever helped her, and she hurt him. Twice. She damn near killed him a couple nights ago, and because of her Magneto almost tore him apart. Tears flowed freely now. She was a danger to everyone she cared about. She just…she just wanted to be _normal_ so badly. To be able to experience life in the way that all others took for granted. To be able to touch someone without having to worry about hurting them. Was is so much to ask? And now this, captured by Magneto. What did he want with her? She sobbed. Why was life so hard? Why did it always have to be this way for her?

"Hey now. Don't cry."

Rogue looked up through bleary eyes and saw Krystal standing in front of her. Rogue sniffled loudly. "Why are you doing this? Why me?"

"We need you. Now, are you thirsty?" She knelt down in front of Rogue with a glass of water.

Rogue sighed and nodded. She didn't like accepting favors from the enemy, but she was thirsty. Krystal held the glass to her lips and let her drink. Krystal moved back a little bit.

"I know this seems undignified, but you understand why I can't untie your hands."

Rogue scowled. Suddenly she got an idea. "Could I have a little more?"

Krystal nodded and leaned forward again. Rogue moved forward quickly and smacked her forehead against Krystal's. The contact was brief, but it had the desired effect. Krystal gasped loudly as she fell back on her rear. As she fought for breath Rogue sorted through what she had absorbed, and found something useful. She looked at Krystal. "Get me out of here," she demanded. "Now!"

Krystal's face blanked and she stood up, pulling Rogue up with her. She stepped behind Rogue and untied the ropes binding her hands. Rogue ripped off her gloves. If this was going to work she needed to be prepared. Gloves would only get in her way. Krystal took Rogue by her still-covered wrist and led her out the door and into the hall. Rogue took a deep breath and prayed.

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Author's Note: Again, sorry for the delay with this update. It's time for final exams and final papers, so I'm a bit swamped with work.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Toad. Don't remind me.

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Krystal strolled confidently down the hall, dragging a nervous Rogue behind her. So far they hadn't run into anyone else and Rogue hoped it would stay that way. But of course, that was too much to ask.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Sabertooth demanded as he and Toad stepped out of the training room into the hall, blocking the girls from going any further. Krystal, however, didn't seem to notice a problem. She tried to push between them.

"Move." She said in a monotone voice. "You are in the way."

Sabertooth and Toad exchanged a glance, confused. Rogue summoned enough courage to make her move. She darted forward quickly, trying to take the larger man by surprise. She figured he was the biggest threat. She yelped as something wrapped around her waist. She looked down and saw that Toad and caught her with his tongue. He whipped her to the side and she hit the wall. She scrambled up quickly, wincing in pain. "Stop!" She demanded. Toad stopped moving and just stood there. Krystal moved past him and took Rogue by the arm again.

Sabertooth growled and rolled his eyes. This was getting silly. He shoved Toad roughly to the side to get to Krystal and Rogue. Toad toppled over and hit his head brutally on the ground, rendering him unconscious. Just then Magneto and Mystique came running down the hall to see what all the commotion was about. For a brief moment all they could do was gape at the scene before them. Toad was sprawled on the ground and Sabertooth was bearing down on Krystal and Rogue, murder in his eyes. Magneto's eyes fell on Rogue's ungloved hands and he quickly recognized trouble. Before Rogue could do anything about the newcomers, Magneto manipulated the metal wall behind her. Tendrils of metal snaked out from the wall like arms and reached for Rogue. Cold metal circled her wrists and waist, dragging her tight against the wall.

"Cover her eyes too," Sabertooth said, "She's got Hypno's power."

Magneto obliged, covering Rogue's eyes with a strip of metal. Even though Rogue was essentially welded to the wall, Krystal was still trying obey Rogue's command to help her escape the base. It was almost comical to watch her tug on the metal restraints and try to pull Rogue away from the wall. Her efforts were obviously in vain, and Magneto quickly grew annoyed. "What happened here?" he demanded.

"Toad and me were in the training room when I smelled these two coming down the hall. This kid got Krystal's power somehow and now Krystal's hell bent to get Rogue out of here," Sabertooth answered.

Magneto scowled at Krystal, who was still tugging at the make-shift restraints. "She's useless now. She won't stop until she completes whatever Rogue told her to do," he glanced back at Sabertooth. "You know what to do."

Sabertooth nodded. He stepped up behind Krystal and brought his heavy fist down onto her head. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she crumpled to the ground.

"Take the prisoner to the helicopter. It's time to prepare for tonight."

Rogue suddenly came free from the wall, but Magneto had left the pseudo handcuffs and blindfold on her. "Remember, do _not_ let her touch you."

With that he and Mystique swept away to make preparations for that evening. Sabertooth hefted Rogue over his shoulder and carried her toward the helicopter, leaving an unconscious Toad and Krystal in the middle of the hall.

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Toad came to a short time later, groaning at the throbbing pain in his head. He reached up and felt a sizable bump on the side of his head. He sat up and looked around. His eyes landed on Krystal, who was laying facedown a few feet from him.

"Luv? Luv, ya alright?" He scrambled over to her and turned her over. She groaned and Toad noticed a bruise on her forehead from when she hit the ground. "Shit."

He picked her up and carried her to his room. He didn't know a lot about treating injuries, so he just lay her gently in his bed. He sat down beside and stroked his fingers absently through her hair. What happened? He and Sabertooth had been fighting in the training room when the big fuzz ball stopped fighting and started sniffing. Toad followed him out into the hall and saw Krystal and the prisoner trying to escape. It quickly became apparent that Krystal's power had been used against her. He remembered attacking Rogue, but then everything went blank.

"Toad!" Mystique's voice called out. She knocked on his door. "Are you in here?"

Toad lifted himself up off the bed and opened the door. "Yeah, wot do ya want?"

"It's time to go. Eric sent me to get you."

"What about Krystal?"

Mystique looked past Toad to Krystal laying unconscious on the bed. "Leave her. We don't have time to revive her."

Toad snorted. "I'm not just leaving 'er 'ere by 'erself. She's 'urt."

"We're leaving now. Come on, we don't have time for this. She'll be fine, it's just a bump on the head."

Toad sighed. Mystique was right of course. They had been planning this night for too long to let anything stop them now. Besides, Krystal would be safe here. "Alright, just give me a moment."

Mystique nodded and turned to leave. "Just hurry up."

Toad walked to his desk and scrawled a quick note for Krystal. His writing skills weren't great, but he thought he got his message across. He set the note down on the bedside table and looked at Krystal. She was so perfect. He loved her, he was sure of that. He hadn't told her yet, he was afraid to. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. He sighed lightly and stood up. Maybe he would tell her when she woke up.

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When Krystal woke up the first thing she noticed was that her head hurt. Badly. The second thing she noticed is that it was dark. She groaned aloud. She messed up big and she knew it. She got too close to Rogue. She couldn't remember much of what happened; she just hoped she hadn't fucked up their whole plan. If Rogue escaped because of her, Magneto would definitely make her leave. Maybe even turn Sabertooth loose on her. She was already walking on thin ice since the incident at the mutant lab with Tabby. And that metaphorical ice had begun cracking when her cover was blown at Xavier's mansion. She was pretty sure at this point Magneto only kept her around to keep Toad happy. Mystique had told her Toad was much less moody and more bearable since they had gotten together. But after this fiasco Krystal doubted Toad would be able to convince Magneto to let her stay. She flicked on the lamp on the bedside table. She blinked furiously as light flooded the room. Her eyes fell on a small note by the lamp.

_Krystal-_

_Went to the Statue. Be back tonight. I have something to tell you._

_-Mort_

Krystal looked at the clock on the wall. Eight o'clock. Magneto and his machine must be in full swing by now. She jumped up off the bed. She still had a chance to help, to show Magneto she wasn't worthless. They would have taken the helicopter, so the speedboat should still be at the dock.

As she jogged down the hall toward the dock she caught her reflection in a passing window. She skidded to a stop to take a closer look. There was one hell of bruise on her forehead. She touched it and winced. How did that happen? She shrugged it off. No time to worry about that now, she had to hurry. She reached the dock quickly and started the boat. The fuel tank was full. Perfect. She untied the boat from the dock and sped off toward Ellis Island.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, blah blah blah.

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As much as Mystique hated to admit it, she was in trouble. The Brotherhood had fought the X-Men before with little or no trouble, but one thing she hadn't been prepared for was the Wolverine. He was an amazing fighter, someone who was finally a challenge for her. A bit too much of a challenge, however, and she was forced to retreat. She quickly scaled a drainpipe on the wall to get out of his way. She cursed. She _never_ retreated. She decided when it came to a pure brute-force fight she didn't stand a chance against him, she would need to resort to more devious methods.

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Toad smirked. These X-Men were so easy. Mystique had gone off to fight their newest member, leaving Toad to deal with the rest. This was so simple it was almost insulting. Cyclops had gone down easily, and Jean Grey would suffocate in minutes thanks to his special slime. Just one more to go. He had tossed the weather-witch onto the level above him and now it was time to finish her. He hopped up to her easily and barely contained a laugh when she went into a defensive stance. Honestly, did she really think she stood a chance? Moments later he sent her tumbling down an elevator shaft. He grabbed the bar holding the doors open and twirled it around. 'Ta bad Krystal isn't 'ere, she probably would 'ave enjoyed this,' he thought to himself.

He looked down at the lower level to see if the other X-Men were still down for the count. He saw Cyclops blast the hardened slime off Jean's face. It appeared the fight wasn't over yet. Before he could jump down, however, a loud ruckus behind him caught his attention. He frowned as the elevator doors rattled and bright light shown out from them. They crashed open revealing Storm and her powers in full force.

"Don't you people ever die?" He demanded, heading toward her. He fought the powerful wind, dodging cheap souvenirs as the soared toward him. The wind was too strong and it pushed him through the outside doors and right off the balcony. He shot his tongue out and wrapped it tightly around the railing. His body jerked to a stop and his tongue stretched painfully. Storm kept coming.

"Do you know what happens to a Toad when it's struck by lightening?" Lightening boomed overhead. "The same thing that happens to everything else."

Pain exploded through his body as the lightening struck his tongue. He reflexively let go of the railing and was sent sailing hundreds of feet into the air and out into the water.

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"Logan? Is that you?" Mystique carefully approached Wolverine, disguising herself as Storm.

"Shh." He sniffed a couple times. "The other one ain't far away."

"We've got to regroup," Mystique replied, moving closer and gaining confidence.

"I know, but there's a problem."

Mystique inched closer still. She almost had him…

Wolverine suddenly whirled around and stabbed his claws into her. "You're not part of the group."

Mystique gasped deeply in pain. She had never felt anything like this before. She couldn't hold her guise anymore. She felt herself shifting back into her real form. She slumped to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.

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As Krystal raced the speedboat toward Ellis Island she saw the tell-tale blue light of Magneto's machine rapidly spreading out toward her. Damn it! She was missing out on all the festivities. At least things seemed to be working according to plan. Suddenly, the light dissolved away into nothing before it even reached the Summit. 'What the hell?' she thought. She let out a frustrated growl as she leaned on the throttle.

"Damn, can't this heap move any faster?"

A few minutes later she approached the shore slowly, hoping not to draw attention from the police and Coast Guard boats nearby. It seemed she had arrived far too late. She hopped out of the boat and slowly headed toward the building. She dove and crouched behind a bush when she spotted a member of the Coast Guard approaching. He was fiddling with his radio and apparently hadn't seen her yet. After he passed her, Krystal stepped out from behind the bush and crept up behind him silently. Two quick punches, a technique she learned from Mystique, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. She dragged him behind the bush and took his uniform. It was a bit big, but beggars can't be choosers.

With her newly acquired disguise she entered the building. The place was swarmed with police officers and paramedics. She watched as two medics wheeled a stretcher passed her. The man on the gurney was a young security guard, with three puncture wounds on his abdomen. It was obvious who had left those. It seemed odd that Wolverine would stab a civilian, the X-Men _never _harmed civilians. Well, maybe Wolverine didn't play by their rules. She approached a nearby police officer.

"Hi, Bridget Robinson, US Coast Guard," she lied. "What the hell is going on around here?"

The officer shook Krystal's proffered hand. "Some mutant shit. God only knows what they were doing in here. You see that light show a few minutes ago?"

Krystal nodded. "Yeah, pretty freaky. Where are the mutants now?"

The officer shrugged. "Dunno. We only found one. Some old guy they kept calling 'Magneto.' The Feds took him away already. Didn't find any others, they must have flew the coop."

Krystal nodded thoughtfully. Magneto had been captured, but it sounded like the others had gotten away. But it never hurt to look around. "Too bad. Listen, would you mind if I looked around a bit? There might be more injured people in here."

"Knock yourself out. We've covered it pretty good though, you probably won't find anything."

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For quite some time she didn't find anything. She scoured the building and found nothing. She moved outside and looked around the boats. A familiar growling caught her attention.

"Stupid, ugh, Wolverine…God damn…how could I…let him beat me…fuck…kill him..."

Krystal approached the shore. "Saber? Is that you?"

The big man dragged himself out of the water and onto the shore. "What are you doing here?"

Krystal gasped as he struggled to stand up. If she hadn't recognized his voice, she probably wouldn't have known who he was. He was a wreck. Blood dribbled from multiple puncture wounds in his chest. His left leg was dragging at an odd angle, clearly broken. His left arm was obviously dislocated and his face and body were covered in scratches, blood, and splinters. "Never mind what I'm doing here. What happened to _you_?"

"Wolverine. Got thrown off the Statue and onto that boat." He gestured at the boat behind him, wincing as the movement jarred his broken ribs.

Krystal looked up and gauged the distance between the top of the statue and the boat. That fall should have shattered him. Thank God for mutation. She looked back at Sabertooth. "Come on, we better get you out of here. The place is crawling with cops."

He grunted in agreement and limped toward her. Krystal moved beside him and let him lean on her. "Where are the others?" he asked.

Krystal shook her head. "Some government folks took Magneto. I haven't seen any sign of Mystique or Mort. Maybe they got away."

"Maybe," Sabertooth grunted. He himself had been beaten by Wolverine, and Wolverine would have had to have gone through Mystique and Toad to get to him. Sabertooth personally didn't feel that the odds were high that either of them were still alive and well. He growled. "Goddamn healing factor, hurry up already!"

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Krystal and Sabertooth slowly turned around. The police officer Krystal had been talking to inside was now standing in from of them, gun drawn. 'Shit,' Krystal swore to herself. She sighed.

"Listen buddy, I don't want to hurt you. Just turn around and forget you saw us," she told him. "Oh, and before you go, give me your gun."

The man's face blanked. He stepped forward and handed Krystal his gun. He then turned and walked back to the building.

"You should have killed him," Sabertooth snarled.

Krystal shrugged awkwardly under his heavy weight. "Didn't need to. He won't remember us."

"I don't like letting witnesses live."

Krystal snorted. "You don't like letting _anyone _live."

They made their way slowly to the docks. The speedboat Krystal had rode over to the island was still there, unattended. They climbed inside and Krystal started the boat. Sabertooth sat back, trying to find a comfortable position. He looked down at his dislocated shoulder. He sighed. This was going to hurt. He grasped his upper arm with his other hand and quickly pushed his arm back into place. He bit back a roar of pain. At least the hard part was over. The rest of his injuries would heal themselves.

By the time they reached their island base, many of his injuries had indeed healed. He was still working on the broken leg and ribs, but even they were feeling much better. Krystal helped him out of the boat and set him up in the den, on the couch. She gave him a glass of water and went to look around the base. She found that the helicopter was still gone, and there was no sign of Mystique or Mort. She sighed and went back to the den and sat down in an easy chair, exasperated.

"Saber? I think the Brotherhood might be down to just you and me."


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing you recognize.

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Pain. Pain everywhere. His whole body. Oh God, his _mouth_!

"Hey, come here and look at this!" Someone poked his back. "I think this guy's dead! Look at his hand, it's green! He musta drowned in the water. Prolly been dead for awhile. Bodies turn colors when they they're dead. Saw it on that TV show, you know, CSI?"

"No way! Lemme see!" Someone crouched down beside him. "Help me turn 'em over."

Two sets of hands grasped him roughly and rolled him onto his back. He struggled to open his eyes. So much pain.

"Whoa, he ain't dead. Lookit his chest, he's still breathin'." A whistle. "Good Lord, he's ugly. Must be a mutant."

"What do we do with him? He looks like he's gonna die."

"Call 911, I guess. They'll send an ambulance. Or the cops. Whatever they do with hurt mutants."

He had to get up! He had to get away! He had to--he couldn't move. He wanted to attack. He wanted to get away, to go home. But he couldn't move. Not at all. God, what happened?

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A week after the incident at Ellis Island Sabertooth's wounds had completely healed, but his pride hadn't. He had never been defeated before and it was eating at him. He grew more agitated by the day and began drinking to compensate. But the more he drank, more his rage built. And the more his rage built, the more he drank to sooth it. It took a lot of alcohol to sooth the rage of a man his size and he quickly depleted the base's supply of liquor. He heaved himself out of his easy chair.

"Going out for booze."

Krystal stuck her head in the den and frowned. "Again? Didn't you just go to the liquor store this morning?"

He grunted. "Going to a bar."

Krystal shrugged. "Ok, enjoy yourself, I guess."

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And he did. For several hours. By last call the bar was deserted, but then, it had been for quite some time. A seven-foot-tall feral commanded quite a lot of personal space.

"H-hey. We're closing up," stuttered the nervous bartender. He had been serving the huge man drinks all night with no problem, but he was afraid of what would happen when he tried to cut him off for the night. Sabertooth didn't answer, only pushed his empty mug toward the bartender, motioning for him to fill it up. The bartender exhaled forcefully and filled the mug. "O-ok, just one more. But that's all, ok? I gotta close up, get home, you know? Got kids I wanna see."

Sabertooth snorted. He didn't care about this man's kids. He just wanted a beer. He picked up the mug and headed for the door.

"Hey! You can't take-oh, never mind. Just keep it."

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Sabertooth steered the speedboat lazily back to base. It was much slower getting home by boat than by helicopter, but he had never bothered to learn to fly. Mystique or Toad always did it for him. Not that it mattered, he had no idea what became of their helicopter anyway. His healing factor had sobered him up about halfway through the trip. Too bad, he had had a pretty good buzz going when he left the bar. He supposed constant sobriety was a small price to pay for being nearly immortal.

When he finally arrived back to the base he found Krystal still awake, but of course, she was always awake. She was sitting on the couch, knees drawn up to her chest, hugging a pillow. Sabertooth's eyes drifted to the television. The local news. He suppressed a sigh; he knew what she was watching for. He never considered Toad a friend, 'comrade' was even a stretch, but now Sabertooth almost felt bad for the girl on the couch. She really seemed to like Toad, and Toad genuinely liked her, Sabertooth could tell.

"Hey," he started.

Krystal turned her head and gave him a small smile. "Hey, glad to see you made it back. You've been gone awhile, I kinda thought you crashed the boat."

He smirked. "Gotta love my healing factor. Don't stay drunk for long."

Krystal turned her attention back to the television. "Mmm, lucky you. Doesn't look like anyone has spotted Mystique or Mort, at least if they did they're keeping it quiet."

"Listen, kid…"

Krystal turned back to him. "What is it?"

What should he tell her? He didn't want to make her mad, she could tell him to rip his own head off and he would do it. He was almost indestructible. _Almost_. He was pretty sure even he couldn't survive decapitation. "You haven't seen Wolverine fight," he started, scowling at the memory. "He would have had to have gone through Mystique and Toad to get to me."

Krystal's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?" she demanded.

Sabertooth shrugged. "The frog might be dead."

Krystal stood up and threw the pillow forcefully to the ground. "Don't say that! He's fine, he'll come back!"

Sabertooth waved her off. "You keep thinking that if it makes you feel better. I'm just saying, don't get your hopes up."

Krystal's face contorted in anger. "What do you know? You didn't even see them fight! You don't know what happened."

"Suck it up and get over it, kiddo. People die, they do that."

"Shut up! God damn it, why are you doing this?"

"Look at you, you're not cut out for this kind of work. You're too damn emotional. That's _your_ problem. _I'm _just trying to help."

"Some help," she bent over and picked up the pillow. "I'm going to bed."

Sabertooth watched, mildly amused, and she stormed off to Toad's room. Well, at least he had kept his head.

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As the weeks passed Krystal grew more and more distant as it became apparent Mort wasn't coming back. For the first couple of weeks she was hopeful, but as the days rolled by her optimism declined. And Krystal wasn't the only one growing distant: Sabertooth spent more and more time out at night at bars and God only knew what else. He frequently came back to the base in the late hours of the morning. Then, one day he didn't come back at all.

Although Sabertooth never was her favorite form of company, Krystal missed him. Without him the base was lonely, no better than her storage garage. Without the Brotherhood Krystal had no job, no purpose. She sighed as she sat on the couch flipping idly through television channels. She supposed she could always go back to changing the minds of politicians. But that somehow didn't seem big enough anymore. If Magneto had taught her anything, it was to go big. Honestly, he had tried to mutate world leaders! Her efforts seemed so trivial in comparison. She stopped on the local news channel, where Senator Kelly was apologizing for his previous actions against mutants. She turned off the TV and grinned. Of course, why didn't she think of it before? The Senator was a mutant now! Magneto said that was how he had escaped. Maybe she could join Kelly and his new fight for mutant rights! Between the two of them they could change a lot of minds, do a lot of good for mutants. Perfect, she had a plan.

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Author's Note: From this point in the story on I'll be using parts from the original script for X2, which included Toad. You don't need to read the script to enjoy this fanfic, but if you're interested, I'll try to put a link to the script on my profile page. Enjoy!

Also, a great big thank you to Animelover210, who contributed many excellent ideas for this chapter!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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The next day Krystal was standing outside the Senator's office building waiting for him to leave. The doors opened and Kelly came out. The moment he set foot outside he was swarmed by media and microphones, all demanding what had caused his unbelievable turn-around. Krystal tried to push her way to the front of the mob.

"Senator! Senator, over here!"

By pure luck he heard her and looked her way. As soon as he saw her a shocked expression came over his face, but just for a moment. Krystal smiled; he definitely remembered her. "Senator, I need to speak with you about your recent advocacy for mutant rights!"

The Senator approached her. "Yes, we have much to talk about. Come with me." He placed his hand on her back and guided her to his car.

As they passed cameras flashed and reporters called out, "Senator Kelly, who is that?" "Senator, are you having an affair?" "Senator Kelly, is this the alleged mutant relative that convinced you to stop supporting the Mutant Registration Act?"

Kelly didn't answer their questions. He just opened the door to his car and motioned for Krystal to get in the back seat. He sat down beside her. "Driver, take me home, please."

Krystal turned to the Senator, excited he was actually listening to her. She had half expected him to completely ignore her, she was with the group that mutated him after all. "So, I was thinking, now that you're supporting mutant rights, maybe I could help you?"

Kelly held up his hand to silence her. "Not here," he said, gesturing toward the driver. "Wait until we get to my home."

Krystal nodded and they rode in silence for the rest of the trip.

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Twenty minutes later Kelly's driver dropped them off at his home. The Senator unlocked and opened the front door of the house. "Make yourself at home."

"Thank you. Listen, so now that you're a mut-what the-?"

The senator's skin and clothes shifted and melted away into blue scales. Mystique grinned widely at Krystal's shock.

"Mystique? My God, I thought you were dead! How did you…how have you been…where's Mort?"

Mystique held up her hand to stop the flow of questions. "Hold it, one at a time. I escaped the Statue by disguising myself as a security guard. I was taken to the hospital so I could heal. I've been disguising myself as Senator Kelly ever since."

"Where's the real Senator?"

"Dead. According to the X-Men, at least. I guess the mutation killed him."

Krystal raised her eyebrows. "Really? What have you been doing about his family? They must notice the difference."

"I sent them to stay with other relatives. Told them it was unsafe for them here, now that 'I' support mutants."

"I can't believe this is working," Krystal said in disbelief. "Hey, Mort wouldn't happen to be here with you, would he?"

Mystique shook her head. "Nope. I haven't heard anything from him. I thought maybe you would have. You know anything about Sabretooth?"

Krystal nodded, but her original excitement had faded. "Yeah, Saber and I have been staying at the base for the past few weeks. Saber's been going out a lot, and a few days ago he didn't come back. I don't think he intends to."

"Doesn't surprise me. The only thing keeping Victor with the Brotherhood was Eric. Without Eric, Vic had no reason to stay."

"Speaking of Magneto, do you know where he is?"

Mystique sighed. "No. Wherever they're keeping him, it's locked up tight. Eric is a very high-profile man, and yet somehow no one knows where he is."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"We look for him."

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The familiar sound of churning helicopter blades dragged him unwillingly into consciousness. He stifled a pained groan and squeezed his eyes shut. His body still hurt, and the helicopter blades were giving him a headache. He opened his mouth ask Mystique where they were going, but he was unable to form the words. His tongue was so swollen and burnt. He struggled to open his eyes. His vision slowly cleared and he choked back a pained gasp. This wasn't his helicopter, and he didn't need to see the pilot to know it wasn't Mystique. Where was he? Where was he going?

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Krystal sighed and looked at the alarm clock. Four a.m., she still had at least two hours before Mystique would get up. She buried her face in the pillow. It still smelled like Mort, but only a little. Day by day his scent faded. She had taken to staying in Mort's room, but she didn't know how much longer she could do that; it was depressing, reminding her that he wasn't there.

After Krystal and Mystique met up, Mystique had come back to the base. They discussed plans, and decided that Krystal could pose as Senator Kelly's personal assistant. That way they could stay together without being questioned. She glanced at the clock again: 4:01. She groaned. Why did time have to move so slowly? She got out of bed and stretched. No use laying around.

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A few hours later Krystal was sitting on the couch in the den watching the news. A particularly interesting headline caught her eye.

"Hey, check this out."

Mystique stuck her head in the den. "What's going on?"

Krystal gestured toward the television screen. "A mutant just tried to kill the President. They won't say how close he came to doing it, though."

Mystique nodded thoughtfully. "That means he got close. Too close for them to admit," She grinned. "Pack a bag, we're going to Washington."

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Magneto sighed as he turned the page of his book, _The Once and Future King_. He wasn't really reading it, he had read it many times before. He mainly flipped through the book for appearances: he knew they were watching him. They were always watching him on those infernal cameras. He had to hand it to their ingenuity; there wasn't a scrap of metal anywhere that he could reach. His weeks in this prison had awoken a new feeling in him, a feeling he hadn't felt for a long time: helplessness. And he didn't like it. Not at all. He truly missed the feel of metal, it's smell. What he wouldn't give for a simple paper clip. Without his beloved metal he was defenseless, the scar on the back of his neck proved it. He reached back and ran his fingers over it. Hadn't he promised himself he would never let himself be marked by humans again? The thought sent a quick flash of rage through his mind. He concentrated hard and reached out, feeling for metal, praying for a careless guard with stapled paperwork, a woman with earrings, anything. He strained until sweat beaded on his forehead. Nothing. They had completely cleared the area.

He looked up as the plastic walkway extended, bridging the gap between the compound and his isolated cage. A sad smile graced his face. Yet again Stryker had come for information, making Magneto betray his own brothers. He was so ashamed, yet powerless to stop it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lensherr. Enjoying your book? When you're finished I can bring you another."

"Come now Stryker, we both know what you're here for."

Stryker smiled. "Down to the point, aren't you? Very well, I'll assume we'll have to do this the hard way." As he spoke he had circled around Magneto's seated form. He suddenly forced Magneto's head forward, placing a few drops of liquid on the mark on his neck. Magneto's body relaxed, slumping in his seat. Stryker walked back around in front of Magneto. "Now, let's get started, shall we? Tell me, where is this hidden base of yours?"

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Author's Note: Sorry for the wait in updates. I'm a bit swamped with work right now and I'm suffering from an irritating bout of writer's block.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing you recognize.

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Stryker's team moved fast. The drone of the helicopters filled the air with ominous noise as they swiftly moved in on Magneto's previously secret island. The helicopters hovered a few feet above the ground and the troops jumped out. They quickly surrounded the building, covering all the entrances. At Captain Thames signal, they stormed the building, guns at the ready.

"Front entry, clear!"

"Kitchen, clear!"

"Workshop, clear!"

They scoured the building, but found no one. Captain Thames stood in the kitchen and radioed to Colonel Stryker, who had flown to Washington D.C. as soon as he heard about the assassination attempt on the President. "Sir, there's no one here."

Stryker swore. He thought for sure he would be able to capture some of Magneto's accomplices.

"Sir? I don't think we missed them by much," Thames voice crackled over the radio.

"What do you mean, Thames?"

"I'm going through the fridge. There's still food in here. The milk is fresh. I think someone was here recently."

Stryker swore again. It was one thing to send all his men out there for nothing. It was quite another thing, however, to find he had missed his target by a few days, maybe even a few hours.

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Stryker's team had indeed missed Mystique and Krystal by only a few hours. They had left that morning, shortly after the assassination attempt hit the airwaves. President McKenna's staff had contacted 'Senator Kelly' and asked him to come to Washington D.C. to assist in evaluating the incident.

Mystique, in Senator Kelly form, approached the oval office. Mystique knocked on the door and it was quickly opened, revealing the President and a man she had never seen before.

"Senator," President McKenna acknowledged, with a nod in Mystique's direction.

Mystique extended her hand. "Mr. President. Thanks for having me."

"I don't believe you two have met." he gestured toward the other man. "Senator Kelly, this is William Stryker."

"No, we've never met," Stryker said, "But I've followed your career for years. It seems that your ideas about the mutant problem have changed."

"For the best, I hope."

President McKenna, sensing tension, spoke up. "Senator Kelly's been at the forefront on _both_ sides of the issue for some time. I thought his point of view would be worthwhile…particularly during this crisis."

Mystique looked at Stryker. "So, what are you proposing, Mr. Stryker?"

Stryker's eyes narrowed at Mystique. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of photographs. President McKenna and Mystique looked them over. Mystique tried to hide her shock: these were photos of Xavier's school. A particularly damaging photo showed a jet emerging from the basketball court.

"My people have gathered these surveillance photos of a mutant training facility in the Salem region of upstate New York."

The President continued to look over the photos. "Where did you get this information?"

"Interrogation of one of the Liberty Island terrorists."

Mystique looked up from the photos with interest. She tried to keep her face neutral, this was exactly what she had been waiting for. "_Eric_…Eric Lensherr?" Her eye's bore hungrily into Stryker's. "You have access to him?"

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"Awake, I see."

He groaned. He was awake alright. But, oh, he wished he wasn't. The pain wasn't fading quickly enough. He opened his eyes and looked around. His attention landed on a man in a white lab coat, standing behind a table topped with hypodermic needles and phials. He didn't like this one bit.

"'m I?" He grunted out, unable to form complete words with his swollen mouth.

The man raised an amused eyebrow. "Yes, you've taken quite a bit of damage, haven't you?"

Mort frowned and tried to make a smartass remark, but he was sure Mr. Lab Coat hadn't understood. Mr. Lab Coat laughed anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, I'd be grumpy too." He picked up a needle and walked toward Mort. "Just hold still, now that you're awake I can see if this works."

Oh, Mort wasn't going to stand for this. No way. He knew all about experimentation on mutants. Krystal had told him about it. He'd be damned if he would be a lab rat like she was. He watched the man with the needle get closer. He waited until the man was looming over him, reaching to turn Mort's head to access the back of his neck. Mort shot his tongue out, wrapping it around Mr. Lab Coat's neck. Lab Coat's eyes widened and he dropped the needle, bringing both his hands to claw at Mort's burnt tongue. Mort winced. This was hurting him just as much as it was hurting Lab Coat, but he wasn't going to let go. Not until Lab Coat was dead, and judging by how blue his face was turning, it wouldn't take long. The clawing and struggling slowed down to feeble scratching, then stopped completely. Mort unwound his tongue from Lab Coat's neck and smirked. One obstacle out of the way. And now to get out here.

He sat up slowly, fighting his protesting body. He hopped down from the bed, stumbling as his knees buckled beneath him. He grasped the side of the bed for support and shuffled toward the door. He had nearly reached it when it swung open toward him, missing his face by a mere half inch.

"Hey, Charlie, how's the-" The new man looked up from the clipboard he had been studying. His eyes widened at the sight of Mort, his mouth opening and closing stupidly as he struggled to form a sound. Mort didn't hesitate: he drew back his fist and punched the man in the face. The face exploded into blood and teeth, his black rimmed glasses snapping at the bridge and dangling comically from the man's ears. The man gurgled out a cry and collapsed, reaching for his shattered face, as if he could put it back together.

Mort snorted. 'All the king's 'orses 'n all the king's men, couldn't put 'umptey together again.' He thought to himself, laughing at his own joke and bringing his foot down forcefully on the man's neck. He relished in that delightful 'crunch.' He never grew tired of it. He turned his attention to the open door and listened. Silence. How many more humans were crawling around this place? And what was this place? _Where _was it? He intended to find out.

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Mystique left the oval office both frustrated and encouraged. Stryker had adamantly refused to give her access to Eric, but at least she now knew someone who knew where Eric was. That was certainly a start. She spotted Krystal trying to start a conversation with Stryker's assistant, but it didn't seem she was having any luck.

"Come, it's time for us to go," Mystique said, motioning for Krystal to follow her.

Krystal nodded and stood up. "What did you find out?"

Mystique smiled her familiar Cheshire cat grin, an expression so out of place on Senator Kelly's face. "A great deal, actually. We have work to do."

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Author's note: I apologize yet again for the delayed updates. Due to my waning interest in this story, updates will probably continue to be sporadic for awhile.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing. *Sigh*

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"We have to kill Senator Kelly."

Krystal choked on her coffee at Mystique's unexpected comment. She coughed and put a hand to her mouth in an attempt to keep from spraying coffee onto the file she was reading. "Are you nuts? We _need_ Kelly!"

Mystique shook her head. "No we don't. Kelly's had a good run, but he can't get us anything else we need. He's simply not useful anymore. Besides, I'm getting tired of this charade, it's dangerous. Sooner or later I'm going to get shot."

"Yeah, those anti-mutant whacko's love exercising their Second Amendment rights. Honestly, how does every crazy guy get a gun? Is being nuts some kind of gun-ownership requirement?"

Mystique let out an exasperated sigh and sat down on the floor next to Krystal. "We let every prejudiced bastard have a gun, but innocent mutant children can't go to school? God bless America."

Krystal lifted the Styrofoam cup in a mock toast. "Land of the free," she took a sip and turned a page in the file. "So, what do you want to do about Kelly? He still has a family you know, and he's a media favorite. This has to be realistic."

Mystique shrugged. "Drowning, maybe? You know, lose him at sea? People go missing in the water all the time and no body is found."

Krystal nodded slowly, contemplating the idea. "Fishing trip gone awry? Could work, I suppose. Wait, does the Senator fish?"

Mystique smiled. "He's does now." She stood up and stretched. "Come on, we're not going to find anything here."

"Yeah, you're probably right. What time is it?"

Mystique shown her flashlight on the clock on the wall behind Krystal. "Almost four a.m."

"Ugh, we've been here for three hours? No wonder my coffee got cold."

"Yeah, I can't believe you brought that with you. Why are you still drinking it?"

"Got to do something to pass the time. These files are _boring_."

"Yeah, I really thought the CIA would have more information."

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Mort stuck his head tentatively out into the hallway. He looked left. He looked right. All clear of people, but what he saw surprised him. The room he had been in had had white walls. It was clean, sterile, like a hospital. What was outside the room, however, was much different. The walls were gray, concrete maybe. They were so old and grimy it was difficult to tell. They were moist, leaking in some places: he could smell the mold growing on the walls. He looked up and swore in his mind. Security cameras. One of them was focused the door. Well, if anyone was watching, they would have seen him kill Clipboard. Time to get moving.

He stepped out into the hall and took the left passage. He had briefly considered taking Mr. Lab Coat's white coat to use as a disguise, but he reconsidered. He was sure most of the people here didn't have green skin or hair, the coat would do no good to disguise that. The long coat would probably get in his way in a fight, he reasoned.

He was twenty feet down the hall from the door, and it was slow going. He hated to admit it, but that lightening bolt had indeed done a lot of damage. His body ached, and his assault on Lab Coat had only aggravated his already maimed tongue. Although, the more he walked, the better he felt. Perhaps he just needed to move his muscles after spending so much time laying down. Or maybe the adrenaline from his latest kills were over-riding most of the pain. Either way, things were looking up.

Thirty feet down the hall; no sign of human life. Not even rodent life, or cockroach life.

Forty feet down the hall and it was decision time. Left, right, or forward? He decided to stay the course. Onward and forward. He looked around and was keenly aware of the security cameras mounted on the dingy walls. He kept his body ready and primed for a fight.

Fifty feet down the hall brought him some action. An automated gun turret sprang from a hidden panel on the ground and wheeled around to aim at him. He was air-born in an instant, clinging to the ceiling and crawling quickly toward the turret as it sprayed bullets at his previous ground location. When he got directly over the turret he dropped, feet first, and smashed it. Mort groaned. Adrenaline or not, that had hurt.

"Get him!"

"Don't let him get away!"

Mort smirked to himself and he slowly raised to a stand from his crouched position from his landing on the turret. Whoever was running this place needed to hire better security: these guys had way too slow of a response time. Mort had killed the two guys in the white room at least 15 minutes ago.

"Hands where I can see them!"

Mort tried to say something clever and biting, like 'how about around your neck, asshole?' but it came out more like "ow baa rouoo ek, aso?" No matter, actions speak louder than words. And Mort's actions spoke loudly. Before the man who had spoken could repeat his request, Mort had launched his tongue out and grabbed the man's foot and yanked. The man fell, and as he fell he finally thought to squeeze the trigger of his rifle. Bullets ricocheted off the hallway walls, some coming to fall harmlessly on the ground, others hitting his fellow guards. One man fell after being hit, but two others were hit and didn't go down. These two aimed their guns at Mort and open fired. He dodged most of the shots by jumping to the ceiling. One bullet, however, found his left shoulder. He had never been shot before and didn't know what it felt like, but he was sure this wasn't right. The bullet hadn't pierced his skin. It hurt, but he could still move. He could still fight. And so he did.

He leapt from the ceiling on top of one of the men. His body compacted as easily as an empty aluminum can. Blood sprayed the hallway walls. Another bullet struck him in the back. Again, it hurt, but it wasn't stopping him. He aimed a flying kick at a third man and felt his foot travel _into_ the man's chest. The man uttered a shocked 'guh' sound as his sternum cracked and blood flooded from his mouth.

Something sharp pricked Mort's neck. He leapt onto another man and wrapped his hands on either side of the man's head. A quick jerking motion ended the man's life. Suddenly, Mort didn't feel so good. He felt sleepy. He wanted to close his eyes. But he couldn't! Not now!

"Like that, freak?" A powerful kick hit his ribs. "Not so tough now, are ya?."

He slumped down on top of the carcass of his last kill. This was no time for a nap…but he was so tired…so…tired…

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"Tsk tsk. I'm beginning to think you're more trouble than you're worth."

Mort opened his eyes and glared at the man who berated him. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't taking any risks. Mort was shackled tightly to the wall and there was some sort of muzzle over his mouth preventing him from using his tongue. He noticed that he wasn't in the white-walled room anymore. This room was much more sinister looking; it would seem he had lost the privilege of clean accommodations. He saw empty shackles on the wall on either side of him. He wondered if other mutants had been locked in the shackles and what had become of them. Was it that same thing that was going to happen to him? He looked back at the other man, who was just watching him with mild interest.

"I understand my men shot you a couple times. How are you feeling?"

Mort glared even harder. "'ust fine, fuck 'ead." He was surprised at the near clarity of his words. It seemed his tongue was healing.

The man chuckled. "Yes, you've been sedated for quite some time. I suppose you've had time to heal. Besides, they only shot you with rubber bullets. They were only supposed to subdue you, not kill you. If they had been playing for real, you'd be dead."

Mort snorted. "Doubt that." He grinned. "Thanks fer the practice though, I was gettin' rusty."

The man wasn't roused by Mort's taunt. He continued to smile, an unpleasant sort of smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Aren't you interested in why I didn't have you killed? It was awfully tempting; you did kill one of my best scientists."

"Yeah, I tend ta do tha' ta people I don't like. 'specially normies."

"Yes, well, now you'll do that to people _I _don't like."

"Wha' makes ya think I'll do tha'?"

The man's grin widened cruelly. "Because you have no choice." He held up a small tube of liquid in front of Mort's face. "This is a little invention of mine. Gives me complete control of any mutant I apply it to. Even Magneto."

Mort's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in rage. "Where's Magneto? Is 'e 'ere? Who do ya think ya are, messin' with Magneto? I'll kill ya!" He struggled against his shackles and they cut into his wrists and ankles.

"I thought that might get a reaction out of you. I'm Colonel William Stryker, and I _hate_ your kind," he said, eyes narrowed. Then he smiled suddenly, almost pleasantly. "However, as much as a loathe you, I realize that you can be quite useful to me. As for Magneto, it doesn't matter where he is," he waved dismissively. "That doesn't concern you. Now, hold still." Stryker raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A woman Mort hadn't noticed stepped forward from the gloomy shadows of the room. With an inhuman speed she grabbed Mort's head in both her hands and forced his head forward, exposing the back of his neck. Mort struggled, but couldn't break the woman's grasp. He didn't think even Sabretooth was this strong. He felt a couple drops of liquid hit his neck. His struggling quickly slowed to a stop and his thoughts faded into nothing.

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Author's Note: Well folks, this will be the last chapter for awhile. I'm going to be spending the better part of my summer with family and won't have access to my computer or the internet for some time.


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